"-
.
.- 7,..'; .".,.- .
-An Evaluation of the School Food Service Workshops of 1990
An Honors Thesis (ID 499)
by
Lori Szvmanski
Thesis Director
~a~tJ)
~Chenoweth, R.d.
Ball State University
Muncie, Indiana
Ju I y
19, 1990
Date of Graduation
August 16, 1990
.-
,
j.
When
I
.
was
I
first
asked
post-educational workshops I
to join
the efforts
In
planning
two
had no idea as to the amount of work
and planning that was required to make the ten workshop days run
smoothly.
first
I
joined
the
meetings
March
in
when
the
preliminary plans were being put together.
This was the
into which all
be juggled around--the
the other activites would
planning of the speakers.
considered,
gain
framework
Every aspect of the workshop had to be
how each speaker would flow into the next, what would
attention,
or
lose attention quickly
and
become boring.
Of
crucial concern was the opening speaker who would set the tone for
the
ent i re
workshop.
Af ter
more
meetings,
the
group
brain
stormed activities which we felt our guests would enjoy and
checked to see if any of these ideas proved feasible.
meetings passed before we had a rough outline of
would
be
followed
for
the
two
weeks;
then
then
Several more
the agenda which
later even
the
final
outline underwent last minute changes until all the activities were
in proper sequence.
The planning of
the workshop was indeed a
challenge which taught the importance of organization.
My main
food
related
responsibility was to plan and expedite all of the
events,
picnic luncheons,
-
workshop
was
breakfasts.
including
two
continental
and two banquet luncheons.
small
especially
I was told that I
the
budget
breakfasts,
two
The budget for the
allotment
for
the
had only twenty dollars to work with
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2
to prepare breakfast food and beverages for the workshops.
of
action
was
to
ingredients and
prepare
that
foods
could
be
which
made
required
in
My plan
relatively
advance and
frozen
few
until
I chose a very basic muffin recipe which could easily be
needed.
altered by adding variations, a daisy biscuit recipe for some eye
appeal, whimsy on the table,
for
a
more
student,
nu tr i tious
all
the
and a whole wheat banana loaf reClpe
With
option.
baked goods were
before the workshops.
the
made
help
and
of
an
frozen
assisting
about
a
week
The beverage to be served was coffee.
I
wanted to serve fresh fruit at the management workshop because I
felt it would be a colorful and nutritious addition to the table.
Since the budget did not allow for any decorating funds I had
to use what
serving
dishes
workshop I
a
I could find within the department and needed
to
bring
utilized a
lace tablecloth.
festivity
to
the
table.
rectangular table form which
The center of
For
to use
the
first
I draped
~ith
the table was highlighted with
three mirrored cubes. On the center cube was a flower arrangement
within a cream colored pitcher.
was a group of Damask
assorted
baked
linen
products.
At either side of the center cube
lined wicker baskets filled
The effect created
cascading forward onto the
table toward
was of
the guest.
with the
full
On
baskets
the
left
side of the table was a three-tiered silver service, upon the first
two tiers were arranged daisy biscuits while the third
layered with fresh fruit skewers.
-
layer was
On the right of the table was
a silver coffee pot with a mirrored ying-yang at its spout to catch
drips and
add
sparkle
to
the
table.
Paper
napkins
in
a
fushia
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3
color and paper cups were used so that the guests could take coffee
with them into the classroom.
I
arrived at
the building at
five o'clock
that morning and
prepared the fruit skewers and took care of any additional
to be completed for the breakfast.
tasks
The use of the wicker baskets
proved to be very time saving since the baskets could be placed in
the microwave to heat the baked products and then taken directly
to
the
service
As
table.
I
left
that
morning
the
student
assistants needed only to turn on the coffee machine and heat and
rep 1 ace
t he
baked
goods
as
needed.
unforseeable problem had arisen,
the
prepa red
drink.
hot
beverage
of
Whi I e
I
had
been
away
an
the guests did not want to drink
cof fee,
but
ins tead
wan ted
a
col d
This problem occured because that morning the building air-
conditioner had been broken and the building was quite warm,
temperature outside was warm as well.
serving
ice
water
which
was
the
the
The students improvised by
only
option.
Otherwise,
this
breakfast was executed very smoothly.
The second breakfast was arranged very much like the first.
A square
table
form
was
another area of the room.
used
with
beverages
being
The change provided for a
served
from
better flow
of traffic and eliminated some of the crowding which I had noticed
at the table during the first breakfast.
Any left over baked goods
were utilized at this time as well as newly baked goods made by the
student assistants.
fruit,
Also, orange juice was served instead of fresh
to cut some of
with cloved,
the costs.
frozen orange rings.
It was served in a
punch bowl
I came in at five-thirty that
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4
to
mo~ning
p~epa~e
miscellaneous
othe~
also went
b~eakfast
Although
b~eakfasts
both
we~e
begin with,
p~oducts
we~e
continental
the
of
these
b~eakfast
is to
of
the
a
p~evious
guests who are
enjoy
wonde~ful
afte~
to enjoy.
caused
we~e
be
coffee,
Although it is a
help
size mostly
se~ving
~epeatedly
we~e
idea
p~oduct
of
the
when
welcome
~egiste~
while they wait
fo~
fo~
as the
invited to eat
new guests as well
they
we~e
fo~
It
~egistration.
as
f~iends.
I
~einvited
to
being left on a cart for
ve~y
themselves,
st~etched
ext~a
that
One solution might
pe~
have been
nice idea to
the
far.
budget expense.
the least expensive
Although,
To
to catch up with old
session,
fi~st
leftove~
again
cannot
the
The
wait
o~
mingling setting
t~ying
~easons.
the guests who have to
g~eet
wo~kshop
the
seve~al
~eplenished
times.
smoothly,
The
should have been dismantled during the first session with
perhaps the
once
fo~
ve~y
baked goods and coffee is what proved detrimental.
mo~e
b~eakfast
table was
~an
p~oposed
cup of coffee and baked
event
that
the
ove~
diffe~ent
p~ovides
felt
b~eakfasts
the planned budget
two
This
mo~ning.
smoothly.
that the
at
and to do
p~eset
that
b~eakfast
consumed and because the guests
~elaxing
next
ve~y
the
fo~
the guests ate
p~oducts
with a
tasks
ove~
due to the fact
the
the set up, which had not been
twenty
I
do
I planned on
po~tion
to
~einvite
dolla~
not
feel
the guests
guests to
breakfast
that
p~epa~ing
the
budget
recipes
~ecipes
which
but also added some variety.
limit
va~iety
at
the
b~eakfast.
I chose the muffin recipe for the fact that it could be
easily and cheaply modified to give the illusion of abundance,
it
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5
The budget also went over
did push the guest to try each variety.
due
to
unforseen
problems.
For
example,
the
whole
wheat
banana
bread was too dry to be enjoyable which meant that it was an item
which
the
budget
paid
for
but
which
the guests did
was not a wasted expense.
however
an
The fresh fruit did add a
unforseeable waste of budget dollars.
lot of weight to the budget,
not eat,
I
would still
argue that it
In today's society people in the food
industry are pushing for healthy alternatives even though the cost
My argument is that
of such alternatives may be slightly higher.
at
a
school
choices
which
fresh
represents
fruit
should
people
come
who
before
believe
the
in
baked
smart
goods
food
ln
the
breakfast budget because i t represents to the lay person that smart
-
food choices and enjoyable, elegant food choices can be one in the
same.
I
began
looking for a catering service for
luncheons
in March.
selecting
a
Several
propietor,
cost
factors
was
the
the picnic
were
to
most
important
theme
be considered when
since
the
entire workshop was on a strict budget,also nutritional aspects of
the food itself and of its preparation and whether
delivery times
and
locations could
establishments
and
found
that
many
be met.
offered
I
contacted several
packages
that
were
not
within
three-fifty to three-seventy five per person price bracket.
I did find a restaurant with a reasonable estimate,
our
When
I visited the
establishment to try the goods which were in the catering packet.
The best package which I found was at a restaurant called the "Rib
Cage"
for
three-fifty a
person they provided a
two piece chicken
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6
1 unc h
whic h
inc 1 uded
two
sides,
beverages
and
a 11
needed
I set up a contract for the first workshop with an option
goods.
to also have the second workshop catered, dependent on
and
qua 1 i ty
of
the
firs t
workshop.
For
this
the service
first
picnic
dessert of strawberry shortcake was made a day in advance.
were no problems
service of
and
paper
in
this product.
was executed
work shops
preparing
were
without
a 1 ready
this
product or in
the
There
the set-up and
The first
picnic was carefully planned
a
By
hitch.
over budget
the second
and
qui c k 1 y
1 unc heon,
prob 1 ems
the
arose.
Since the contract with the "Rib Cage" was for the first week there
had been no set price for our second luncheon,
to gi/e me a
-
for the restaurant
price meant agreeing to a contract and I
option of changing the caterer for the second week.
of
the
second
workshop
a
different
owner
catering activities of the establishment.
been
willing
contract.
to
work
The new
within
person
was
my
not
was
wanted the
By the time
taking
over
the
The previous owner had
budget
constraints
fle:~ible
In
to
working
make
a
within
a
budget and quoted a ridiculously high priced package.
After contemplating many ideas it proved most cost effective
for two workshop staff to prepare the luncheon within the facility.
It was admirable that these workers were willing to put a
work and effort into the preparation of the meal.
I
Yet,
lot of
honestly,
felt their efforts were a poor representation of the skills which
are carefully honed at this University.
and critical
of
impressions of
the display of
the diner about
food.
I
It
am
very interested in
forms one of
his meal ,therefore,
the first
it cannot
be
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7
ignor-ed.
In
completely
ignor-ed.
steel
thi s
1 unc h
I
For-
fee 1
the
example,
aspec t
food
was
pr-epar-ation bowls and pr-epar-ation
wer-e
r-eadily
Gr-an ted,
available.
of
eye
ser-ved
appea 1
in
was
stain less
pans when chafing dishes
thi seven t
was
to
be
a
ver-y
casual picnic like setting, i t was still being ser-ved to guests at
the Univer-sity as
main ar-gument is
although
the
a
r-epr-esentation of
that
same
the
the same pr-ice was
quality
not
delegated to someone else,
entir-e event differ-ently.
of
the event
fr-om
In
the
was
second
made
My
luncheon
I twas
ser-ved.
simply by the manner- in which it was ser-ved.
responsibilty
luncheon
each
facility,
for-m
second
was
for-
obvious
my
the
paid
depar-tment.
painfully
Although
that
luncheon
foods
within
luncheon
had
the
been
if in charge I would have planned this
Ideally, I would have changed the entir-e
that
of
a
picnic
to
that
of
a
r-elaxing
lunch, since the entir-e point of the activity was to let the guests
r-elax
together- and shar-e similar- exper-iences.
This event woul;j
have been held in Simpson lounge dur-ing later- lunch hour-s (twelvethir-ty) using a
buffet ser-vice setting.
enjoyable,
A
pr-ovencial
dish such as vegetable lasagna or- mostacholli would have been the
entr-ee and would have been ser-ved with a
a
light vinegr-ette dr-essing
simple salad ador-ned with
and war-m br-ead.
It cou 1 d
have been
ser-ved easily using chafing dishes and the women after- being ser-ved
the fir-st time,
the
,-
r-emainder-
for- por-tion contr-ol, could have helped themselves
of
the
lunch
per-iod.
I
would
have
pr-ovided
two
bever-age choices, either iced tea or- coffee, and if the guest chose
another-
bever-age
choice
he
could
pr-ovide
it
for-
himself.
For-
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8
dessert I would have served a refreshing,
homemade,
lemon ice and
if the budget would have allowed, either piroettes or store bought
I would have used china, silver and glassware to cut
gingersnaps.
down
on
the cost of
The only
paper goods.
paper goods
which
I
would have used would have been paper cups for the ice so that the
guests could
would
have
take it
been
to the next session and
worth
the
labor
to
cut
paper
since there was enough labor and dishwashers.
tables in Simpson
paper napkins.
costs,
It
especially
I would have placed
lounge and would have pulled additional
tables
into the unused hallway so that the atmosphere was cafe-like,
the
guests would have been in close proximity to one another but they
would not feel
-,
work shops
had
squashed and close in the room.
a
reasonab 1 e
number
of guests,
Since both of the
I
hones t 1 Y be 1 ieve
that my luncheon ideas could have been done very tastefully within
the budget.
this
In truth,
experience
more
I
feel
since
it
that our guests would have enjoyed
was
obvious
from
the
food
left,
especially from the second picnic, that a better luncheon plan must
exist.
My plans are much more labor intensive, yet, if labor hours
were carefully planned in advance there would have been no problems
especially since for this workshop there was an abundance of labor-four
students
assisting
instead
that
the
of
the
two
used
in
previous
years.
I
do
feel
wi th
increase
in
the
prices which
were
quoted to me that in the future perhaps one lunch event be catered
and
the
other
made
in
the
facility
to
stay
within
the
budget.
Certainly the students assisting in the workshops should be capable
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9
and qualified to
would
be not
agenda
it
inst~ucto~
cate~
to
a
could
head
fo~
be
o~
pa~t
a~ea
the
lunches
solving and
By contacting the
but
agenda
g~oups
into
wo~k
activity
the
made that each
lunch and
wo~k
on
~elatively
empty and
Using this plan the women would
rese~ved.
planne~
It could be made into a flexible
~esponsiblities.
which could easily be
Fo~
afte~
be together to share and work on the case studies but the
would have less
the
the schelude could
~estau~ant
was
that
a~e
to have
~estau~ant
idea
const~uctive
the activities.
planned
to Flying Tomato
could be
Anothe~
to continue
of
a late lunch when the
a specific
the
p~epa~e
p~oblem
ove~
its case study.
plan
such an event.
~estau~ant
explains
will
g~oup
to
moving
example,
a~~ange
alte~ed
if
a
day
~aln
occu~ed
having one or two quick change lectures which to flip around.
by
The
women might enjoy a short walk to the village to get away from the
classroom.
B~oad
time frames could be assigned during this activity
so that people could relax and not be worried with where they need
to be
ne;~t.
studies since
This idea would work
the activity
really
especially well
opened
the
with
women
up
the case
to
sha~e
their past experiences and differing opinions.
Since the banquet lunches were to be prepared and served by
University Banquetting and Catering my job was to make all of the
necessary
contacts
fo~
the
event
to
run
smoothly.
I
first
contacted the U.B.C. office in April to make contract dates of when
the workshops would need their services.
.-'
the
to
student
check
on
cente~
the
to make
room
~oom
plans
and
Next,
rese~vations.
then
go
I
had to contact
Eventually,
back
and
I
had
change
the
-
10
In early May,
reservations as time blocks in our schelude changed.
my supervisor and I met with a manager at U.B.C. to set an official
contract and menu.
I had a copy of the menu items prepared within
the facility and was very familiar with several
of
the items but
was very unfamiliar with the likes and dislikes of this audience.
The U.B.C.
manager
could
suggestions
make
enjoy.
Also,
was
much
for
more
menu
knowledgable
ideas
which
ln
this
our
once again we were working within a
area
audience
budget
the amount of money which could be spent per person.
arId
would
limiting
After having
planned the contract, my only other responsibilty in this area was
to call
in a count of
how many guests would
be attending each of
From the comments which were voiced
the banquets.
that overall the banquets ran smoothly.
to me,
I
feel
There were some problems
,however, with the temperature of some guests' food and in the fact
that one item contracted for was not in the meal.
These problems
should
charge
have
been
taken
to
the
U.B.C.
manage:--
In
as
the
problems arose.
I was responsible for the planning of the trip to Minnetrista
Cultural Center.
Since the focus of this museum was the history
of Central Indiana that the guests would find it both informational
and enjoyable.
I contacted the museum very early in April
to set
up a tour date and time, and to find out about any fees which would
need to be placed within the budget.
a
confirmation
letter from
Later in the month I received
the museum.
I
had several
problems
when dealing with the museum mostly due to the fact that my contact
person was not informed about many of
topics that
I addressed to
--
11
her, also,
find
I had the feeling that she was unsure of where to go to
the answers to the questions
I was forced
I was asking.
to
call the museum several times to receive answers to my questions.
About a week before the workshops began I was forced to change the
time of
the workshop
due
to a
problem with
arranging
speakers.
Over the phone it took many tries before I could find my contact
Again,
to change the reservation time.
was quickly received.
a
letter of confirmation
I believe that i t might have been faster to
contact this museum by letter rather than by phone;
a
clearly written
letter all
of
my questions
by stating in
perhaps they would
have been answered in one letter as opposed to several phone calls.
My one complaint with the museum tour was that the group of guests
should
museum,
have
been
split
into
smaller groups
instead of having only one docent.
and
led
through
the
Most of the group had
a diffficult time listening to what the sole docent was saying and
I think it made eveyone feel cramped and crowded.
was an oversight on
the part of
I felt that this
the museum Slnce i t was notified
very early about the number of guests which it would be receiving
for a tour.
I thought the museum tour on the agenda broke up the
day and was a very enjoyable activity for the guests,
who seemed
very interested.
In
addi tion
various odd
personalized
to
my
jobs which
all
of
banquet in caligraphy.
a
main
needed
the
responsibi 1 i ties,
to
be completed.
certificates
to
be
I
a 1 so
performed
For exampl e,
given
out
at
I
the
I made numerous phone calls to double check
speaker's presentation time or what equipment would be needed.
12
I
tr ied
to
con tac t
I
department.
put
a
first
aid
together
a
speaker
poster
throug h
for
the
health
the
display
case
and
picked up and sorted through materials for the first aid lecture.
I assisted casually in the workshop
I
attend.
wrote
the
thank
you
lectures which I was able to
letters
to
the
speakers
at
the
workshops.
What
I
learned
of information.
from organizing these workshops was a
I learned that to make a presentation be sucessful
one has to have planned every
to consider
myriad
all
detail and event scheduled.
One has
the problems which could occur in the situation
and what possible solutions could be planned ahead of time, in case
they are needed.
important
Although planning is essential, what is even more
is the ability
activity does
not
to adapt quickly and
proceed
being an authority figure
as
schedule.
An
improvise when
important
is the ability to delegate.
aspect
an
of
I know that
without the assistance of the two student helpers, especially with
the
breakfasts,
my
duties
,,,,ould
have
been
at
least
demanding and would not have been as effective as I
In
I
retrospect,
load
which
have
perhaps
although at the time I
responsibilities,
work
could
I
had
given
myself.
I
delegated
felt
twice
as
had planned.
more
of
my
I could handle the
1 earned
that
it
is
not
always easy when one is working within a group, especially when one
is not
the
leader of
the group.
dealt with situations differently
I
had
than
to deal
myself,
with people who
and
because
they
were in authority their ideas and methods carried more weight than
m~ne.
For example,
I am the type of
person who jots a
few notes
•
13
but normally does not write every detail or idea that I have
my
superior was this type of person and a few conflicts arose due to
differences in methodology.
One of
workshops
the major
is
that
I
criticisms
should
have
I
have
for
myself
about
these
been more aggressive in certain
situations even though it would have made the environment tenuous.
For example,
the second picnic was delegated
my responsibilty to that of
by my superior from
the two student helpers.
Because of
this I felt that I had no authority to tell the student helpers my
opinion of
what they were doing,
some alternatives.
although
In retrospect,
I did casually suggest
I see that I should have voiced
my opinions from the beginning irregardless of
that it would have caused.
the group conflict
At the time I felt that group harmony
was necessary since so many items needed to be completed and since
the group had to work together so closely.
the
next
allowed
person
to
who
control
is
this
delegated
area
as
I would advocate that
similar
he
sees
responsibilties
proper,
dealing
be
irJith
problems that arise with the guidance of his superior and not make
every activity a group effort in decision making.
been
even
budget
and
more
then
responsibility
of
a
had
and
learning
been
experience
forced
authority
to
were
roll
if
This would have
I
had
been
wi th
the
punc hes.
undermined
by
my
given
a
My
superior
delegating tasks previously assigned to me,to others without even
questioning me about my ability to handle the situation.
I
know
that these workshops were much more than an exercise for students
to practice managerial duties,
but I am certain that my decisons
·.
-.
could have been a
while at
thi s
task,
Instead,
to
this
I
shou I d
have
Since
the c
of
wo~ld
than an
-
sup~eme
planne~s
of
the
any success
afte~noon
g~ow
~un
the plans
fo~
Of
and
in which the fax
is the concept of
meet face to face
o~
maximum
of
fai I u~e.
~esponsibilities
g~ew
why a new
a successful
of phone calls.
so do
wo~ld
unde~stand
lea~ned
~esponsibilty
apathetic.
ma~ket
of conventions and meetings.
the ability to
Even today in a
.
t
on
the delegation of so many of my
fo~
the meeting
~ule
took
that I have
I was deemed incompetent and quickly
has opened up
mo~e
I
~edi
In conclusion, I can easily
business
of all
~ep~esentation
Unive~sity.
th~ough
othe~s,
p~oud
wo~kshop
cou~se,
place
In today's
takes much
as the
membe~s
possible complications.
and the telephone seem to
human contact,that people need
b~ain-sto~ming
and
p~oblem
to
solving .