University Dining Service
Newsletter
April & May 2013
Cereal Survey Drives Choices for 2013-14
Cereal surveys were distributed in February so students can have a voice in the cereal selections offered for
2013-14. The options on the survey are chosen by availability in the foodservice market for institutional
service and then grouped by category. The intent is to offer something for everyone. At both Price Commons
and North Point Dining Halls, we have added a cereal choice for next year bringing the total cereal options
available daily to 15 selections. The categories are Sweetened, Semi-Sweetened, Low Sugar and High
Fiber/Bran. This year Frosted Mini Wheat, a sweetened cereal was an added option under the High Fiber
option, adding the 15th choice to the list. Also, new to the list this year is Kellogg’s’ Apple Jacks. Gone from
the list is Cocoa Puffs. The most popular, Reese’s Puffs, carried the chocolate vote this year. Tabulation of
the results by popularity in each category is used to make selections, 423 surveys were completed.
Here are the cereals to be offered next year in Price Commons & North Campus Dining Halls:
Lucky Charms
General Mills
Cinnamon Toast Crunch
General Mills
Reese’s Puffs
General Mills
Honey Nut Cheerios
General Mills
Frosted Flakes
Kellogg’s
Apple Jacks
Kellogg’s
Fruit Loops
Kellogg’s
Captain Crunch
Quaker
Frosted Mini Wheat
Kellogg’s
Cheerios
General Mills
Rice Krispies
Kellogg’s
Kix
General Mills
Special K
Kellogg’s
Raisin Bran
Kellogg’s
Granola
Malt-O-Meal
April
22 Adam Richards, Cook
May
15 Linda Fane, Office Assistant
21 Barb Stephens, Service Lead
26 David Leach, Executive Chef
University Dining – A Good Place to Work
University Dining Service conducted a survey of student employees this spring in all three facilities. The
results show that working in dining service is rewarding, and the work environment is positive. Here are a
few facts from the survey completed by 301 of over 400 student employees:
When asked if the number of hours worked per week were acceptable, we found:
Just right
86%
Too little
13%
Too much
1%
The hours that students are working:
0-5
4%
5-10
43%
10-15
34%
15 plus
19%
When asked if rules and policies are fair, the responses were:
More Than Fair
36%
Fair
63%
Unfair
1%
Job Training was rated:
Very Good
Good
Fair
Poor
27%
57%
15%
2%
Orientation was rated:
Satisfactory
Unsatisfactory
93%
7%
Morale was rated
High
Average
Low
53%
46%
1%
Student Managers received good ratings in various categories of their job performance.
Job knowledge & training skills
4.61
Fairness
4.62
Tactful & communication skills
4.56
Leadership ability
4.57
Available on shift and will pitch in 4.61
Approachable
4.62
Organization skills
4.60
Overall rating
4.60
Top reasons students work at dining service in order of ranking:
1. Flexible Scheduling
2. Convenience
3. Meal/Beverage Program
4. Variety of jobs
University Dining Service National Benchmarks
In October 2012, UDS administered customer satisfaction surveys in the following dining operations on
campus: Price Commons Dining Hall, North Point Dining Hall, HC2 Jarvis Express, Library Expressway
Cart, Harvey Hall Expressway Cart, Commons Mini Mart, Northern Express & PM, Skylight Market/Brew
Devils, and Fireside Cafe.
There were 1555 surveys completed. These were then sent to Industry Insights for compilation and
benchmarking against 115 other college foodservice operations from across the nation. A total of 148,012
surveys were completed from all institutions participating in the benchmarking.
UW-Stout Dining Service overall rating for each “factor” is equal to or higher than the industry average for 4
of 8 factors. For all other factors, scores are minimally lower, ranging from .01 - .08 difference. Scores were
based on a 1 to 5 scale with 1 being very dissatisfied and 5 being the most satisfied
General Satisfaction
Food
Menu Variety
Value of Food
Service
Cleanliness
Appearance of Facilities
Sustainability
UW-Stout
3.89
3.90
3.62
3.58
4.16
4.28
4.37
4.09
Industry
3.90
3.93
3.70
3.50
4.22
4.24
4.30
4.06
Contract Operations
3.64
3.69
3.46
3.25
4.03
4.13
4.21
3.87
Summary by Type of Operation
•
•
•
•
•
•
Commons Cafeteria
North Point Cafeteria
HC2 Jarvis Express
Northern Express & PM
Expressway Carts (Express Units)
Commons Mini Mart
UW-Stout
3.77
3.6
4.07
3.82
4.19
3.94
Industry Average
3.83
3.83
3.94
4.10
3.94
4.10
Gap Analysis
A gap analysis, done by the survey, provided insight into those factors which are most important to customers
and would most directly impact customer satisfaction. The top five gap analysis factors for all UW-Stout
Dining operations combined are listed below. Those marked with an (*) are also in the top five for the
industry, although the order is somewhat different.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
UW-Stout
Freshness
Nutritional Content
Value
Taste
Variety of Healthy Menu Choices
Industry
1.
Value
2.
Nutritional Content
3.
Freshness
4.
Variety of Healthy Menu Choices
5.
Taste
Meatless Mondays – Peer Health Educators
The Peer Health Educators approached UDS and asked what we could do to promote going meatless among
our patrons. It is part of an initiative they have for March. The Price Commons and North Point Dining Halls
will be identifying all meatless entrée choices on Mondays during the Month of March. Going Meatless on
Mondays is a campaign to raise awareness of the impact our traditional agriculture and food production
systems have on the environment.
Mardi Gras Celebration Reflections
On Fat Tuesday, February 12, 2013, Price Commons and North Point Dining offered a Mardi Gras experience
in menu and décor for the customers at dinner. 1391 individuals dined at the meals with 954 at the Price
Commons and 437 at North Point.
The menu highlights were: Shrimp Creole, Roasted Tofu Creole, Jambalaya, Red Beans and Rice, Roasted
Cajun Vegetable Medley, Key Lime Pie, and Mississippi Mud Pie. The favorite menu items were Creole and
Jambalaya. North Point offered a fortune teller as entertainment, a big hit with a line of customers all evening.
Games we also played at both locations for prizes.
Surveys of 344 customers yielded results that are not as high as most special meals. Many students did not
enjoy the southern menu choices. This theme is not offered regularly for this reason, but on occasion it is nice
to expose our customers to a different type of cuisine.
Here are the survey results:
Ratings:
Excellent
Good
Fair
Poor
Overall Satisfaction
Menu
Décor/Entertainment
Worthwhile
17%
14%
26%
87%- Yes
41%
35%
49%
13% - No
32%
37%
20%
10%
14%
5%
UDS Hosts Booth at Optimal Health Fair
UDS will again set up a booth at the Optimal Health Fair, which is open to the campus and community. The
fair will be held in the Multi-Purpose Room of the Sports and Fitness Center, on April 3, 2013, from 10:00
a.m. – 2:00 p.m. The fair is hosted by the campus Optimal Health committee and has excellent participation
from staff, students and community members. Attendance is estimated to be over 400.
UDS will focus on the importance of breakfast as not only a good start to your day, but an important
component in healthy dietary habits. We will offer samples of some good breakfast options and share the
nutrition information about them. We will sample a cranberry pumpkin muffin and offer recipes for those
who may want this for a healthy breakfast option or a snack at home. We will also sample out our yogurt
parfaits that contain fruit and granola, a good thing for breakfast on the go. A display on the importance of
breakfast in a healthy diet will be available. Lisa Eierman, MS RD CD CDE will show off our newly
designed and enhanced nutrition web page as well as explain how to use the interactive plate analysis in
FoodPro that will soon be available as phone app.
Taste & Experience a Western Style Meal
On Wednesday, April 10, 2013, Price Commons and North Point Dining will offer a Western themed meal at
dinner from 4:00 – 7:30 p.m. All prices will be normal for this meal. The décor will carry a western theme
and participants can play games for prizes. Keep in mind that set up for this meal will require the temporary
closure of dining hall service this day.
Cowboy Beef Tips on Gun Powder Biscuits
Western Lentil Stew on Gun Powder Biscuits
Western BBQ Chicken
Full Salad Bar
Cowboy Caviar w/Tortilla Chips
Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
Western Style Baked Beans
Bi-Color Corn
Dinner Rolls
Draft Root Beer
Apple Crisp
Cherry Crisp
Ice Cream & Toppings
April
1991 Rod McRae, Catering Manager
2001 David Leach, Executive Chef
2009 Adam Richards, Cook
May
1991 Lisa Miller, Food Service Manager
2009 Richard Buckwheat, Baker
New Student Managers Join the Team
Recent interviews were conducted of applicants for new Student Managers in UDS. The new managers will
be trained to fill in the vacancies created by graduating or non-returning Student Managers in the fall 2013
Semester. Please congratulate them on their promotion.
Student Center Retail:
Joshua Schulz
Commons Dining:
North Point Dining:
Ben Jondle
Ryan Sager
Mallory Schmidt
Freddy Manderfeld
Jacob Bachman
Emily Jacobson
Carly Bonne
Brittany Zimmerman
Sean Sturman
Tyler Mathiesen
Alexandra Geller
Student Center Sales Climbing
The Student Center dining areas recently completed their first full year in the
remodeled spaces. Sales are doing very well this semester with many weeks
exceeding the sales of our first semester in the new spaces. Here’s a little more
data that demonstrates the positive impact our new spaces and offerings have had
for the campus and UDS.
In the six full weeks of service that have occurred this semester, the Skylight
Market sales above the first semester of opening. The Fireside Café sales have
exceeded last year’s sales in 4 of the 6 weeks. When we compare sales year-todate for all dining operations in the Student Center, with those from the last
comparable year-to-date totals, we have a 20.6% increase in sales.
Way to go MSC-UDS staff. Keep up the good work!
Student Employees of the Month
Month
December/January
February
Price Commons
Mang Thao
Dean Vang
North Point
Student Center
Shannon Czajkowski Lexi Johnson
Laura Ritchie
Bailye Durkin
Catering
Rebecca Wereley
Sample Bar Weekly – Give us Feedback!!
Every Tuesday at Price Commons and North Point Dining
Hall, samples of new recipes or products are offered and
feedback is solicited. Take a minute on each of these
Tuesdays to try the sample item and tell us what you think.
Your opinion counts!
April 2
April 9
April 16
April 23
April 30
Flatbread Genovese
Apple Cranberry Cobbler
Chicken Soup w/Grains & Corn
Broccoli & Cauliflower Au Gratin
Egg & Sausage Grilled Cheese
Nutrition and Dietary Habits of Students
A survey on the nutrition and dietary habits of students was administered in the Commons and North Point
dining halls in February 2013. The survey was also administered on-line. The results are used as a guide in
menu planning, the development of education materials, and determining what retail products to offer. A total
of 470 students participated in the survey.
When asked how satisfied students are with the variety of healthy foods in Commons & North Point,
respondents gave an average rating of 3.50 on a 5 point scale.
Here are the response percentages of the top dietary choices students indicate they are making or feel are
important to a healthy diet:
More Fruits & Vegetables
More whole grains
More lean meats
Less saturated fat
Less calories/trying to lose weight
91% selected
70% selected
69% selected
61% selected
61% selected
When asked how satisfied students are with the amount and type of nutritional information offered in UDS,
students average score was 3.48 on a 5 point scale.
When asked about the frequency that vegetarian entrée dishes should be offered at the Kitchen Classics station
(Lunch & Dinner) given the standard choices at repeating specialty bars students indicate the following:
Never
4 meals/week (21% of meals)
7 meals/week 37% of meals)
10 meals/week (53% of meals)
14 meals/week (74% of meals)
19 meals/week (100 % of meals)
31%
32%
14%
10%
8%
6%
When asked about the Dietary preferences used when considering level of vegetarianism, the students indicate
the following:
Unrestricted
83%
Partially Meatless
13%
Vegetarian
3%
Other
1%
Of the 3% indicating a vegetarian diet: 65% are Lacto-ovo (eat dairy & eggs); 7% are Ovo (eat eggs): 7% are
Lacto (eat dairy): and 21% are Vegan.
University Dining Service Newsletter
A UDS Publication
April/May 2013
Articles should be submitted to Jim Selz
Not an official document.
For information only
Not printed at tax payer expense