Michael Williams
Dietetic Intern Meal Project – 3/24/11
Theme & Meal Selections
The meal project was centered upon Sodexo’s The Balanced Way theme. The
generalized principle of The Balanced Way program is based upon the balanced plate
method or the recently introduced USDA MyPlate which is then counterbalanced with
specific macro and micronutrient guidelines. The Balanced Way plates consist of 50%
vegetables & fruits, 25% protein-rich foods and 25% whole grain & fiber-rich
carbohydrates. The nutrient requirements are detailed below.
Featured Meals
≤ 600 calories
≤ 35% calories from fat
≤ 10% from Saturated Fat
At least 3g of fiber
≤ 800 mg of Sodium
Featured Dessert
≤ 300 Calories
≤ 35% calories from fat
≤10% from Saturated Fat
At least 1g of fiber
≤ 300 mg of Sodium
There were a few underlying reasons with the selection of this program. First
there was an organizational interest and preference due to the Sodexo affiliation.
Furthermore, a similar Balanced Way program was recently implemented by the
previous dietetic intern. The continuation of The Balanced Way program allowed for
improvement based on insight from the previous implementation.
Though a similar Balanced Way theme meal was recently implemented, there
were significant differences between the two. One major difference was in the timing.
Michael Williams
Dietetic Intern Meal Project – 3/24/11
The previous Balanced Way theme meal was a lunch while the meal for this project was
breakfast. The selection of a breakfast theme meal was interesting as historically
breakfast is not used for special meal projects at the KSC Dining Commons.
The Executive Chef, Rich Ducharme, explained that breakfast typically carries the
resounding mentality of “You do not mess with this meal.” He elucidated that students’
breakfast choices tend to be deeply rooted in habit. To alleviate any student frustrations
only 5 stations would offer Balanced Way meals with the remaining stations operating
as usual. The implementation of a partial meal project marked a significant difference to
the previous meal project which was a complete overhaul of the Dining Commons.
The selection of meal choices were based on numerous factors. These factors
included available equipment, available personal, student desire and The Balanced Way
nutritional guidelines. While counterbalance of all factors was primordial, the individual
selection was streamlined due to a Balanced Way tenet stating that only preapproved
Sodexo recipes could be utilized. The Sodexo computerized recipe database listed a
total of 27 possible Balanced Way breakfast meals. This selection process appeared easy
when contrasted with the 600+ possible Balanced Way lunch and dinner options. The
final meal choices are listed below:
1. Grilled Vegetable Eggchilada
2. Sunshine Poached Egg Plate with Canadian Bacon & Fresh Fruit Salad
(strawberry, cantaloupe, honeydew, pineapple, grapes)
3. Mountain Blueberry Coffee Cake Plate with Banana Strawberry Smoothie
4. Morning Fruit & Cottage Cheese Plate with Muffin
5. Blueberry Griddle Cakes Plate with Turkey Sausage & Grapefruit
The meals chosen met both the demands of the consumer and the organizations
structural/workflow needs. Prior to the event the consumers had voiced an increase
desire for fresh fruit, therefore the fruit smoothie-coffee cake plate, the cottage cheese-
Michael Williams
Dietetic Intern Meal Project – 3/24/11
fruit plate and fresh pineapple/strawberry trees were placed directly in the entrance.
The three remaining Balanced Way meals were melded to production areas that
typically offered similar foods and would meet production needs. For instance, the
blueberry griddle cakes with turkey sausage were offered at the grill station which
typically offers and produces pancakes and sausage.
Forecasting, Purchasing & Cost
Forecasting was done with the assistance and expertise of the Executive and
Sous Chef. The methods mostly involved the insight of the chefs as opposed to formal
predictive equations. There were two forecasts done; an initial forecast and another
prior to purchasing. The purchasing of ingredients via system’s intranet menu template
system occurred at the time of the second forecasting. The quantities forecasted and
purchased for are detailed below.
Quantity
Menu Item
500
Blueberry Griddle Cakes Plate with Turkey Sausage & Grapefruit
100
Morning Fruit & Cottage Cheese Plate with Muffin
100
Mountain Blueberry Coffee Cake & Banana Strawberry Smoothie
50
Grilled Vegetable Eggchilada
50
Sunshine Poached Egg Plate with Canadian Bacon & Fresh Fruit
The final food cost was determined to be $2,549.71. This price included $900 in
miscellaneous/peripheral costs as a safety measure. The anticipated customer count
was 1000, therefore the plate cost was ~$2.55. A more specific breakdown of meal cost
per plate is detailed below.
Michael Williams
Dietetic Intern Meal Project – 3/24/11
Cost/plate
Menu Item
$0.56 Blueberry Griddle Cakes Plate with Turkey Sausage & Grapefruit
$0.95 Morning Fruit & Cottage Cheese Plate with Muffin
$1.40 Mountain Blueberry Coffee Cake & Banana Strawberry Smoothie
$1.19 Grilled Vegetable Eggchilada
$1.32 Sunshine Poached Egg Plate with Canadian Bacon & Fresh Fruit
The Average plate cost is $1.08. This is significantly lower than the anticipated
total food cost of ~$2.55 (inclusive of the $900 held for miscellaneous and peripherals).
Nonetheless these figures measure nicely against the admittance cost of $4.25.
Prep, Production & Workflow
Pre-production occurred during the days preceding the event. The majority preproduction was dicing and cutting fruits and vegetables for the side dishes. Other items
for pre-production occurred directly prior services. This process was similar to the
traditional daily breakfast production. For instance the griddlecakes and turkey sausage
was prepared similar to the bacon and pancakes, directly before service.
The preparation and production were aided by recipe production sheets. These
sheets were pre-developed by Sodexo for all menu choices in their recipe database.
Therefore after selecting each Balanced Way meal, production sheets were printed off
and provided to the kitchen.
An employee workflow/service diagram is illustrated below highlighting the
stations that provided Balanced Way meals: Appian Way Pizzeria, Monadnock Grill, Elm
City Eatery and The V.
Michael Williams
Dietetic Intern Meal Project – 3/24/11
The Monadnock Grill had an interchangeable 2 to 3 employees preparing and
serving the griddlecakes and turkey sausage. The major difference between
regular service and this meal was the pre-portioned plates. There was an
employee in charge of portioning plates.
At Elm City Eatery the poached eggs were prepared and served. There were 2
employees responsible for the poached eggs. One of these employees was
responsible for putting together the egg-chiladas and storing them.
At the Appian Way Pizzeria, I was in charge of serving the egg-chiladas. This
required obtaining the prepped and stored egg-chiladas from the Elm City
Eatery. Once obtained from Elm City, the eggchiladas would be put through the
Michael Williams
Dietetic Intern Meal Project – 3/24/11
impinger oven. I alternated between this section and the V for most of the meal
service.
The V ran two different Balanced Way meals consecutively. One side of The V
had the fruit and cottage cheese plate; one employee was in charge of preparing
this meal. The other side of The V had the coffee cake and fruit smoothie plate.
Myself and another employee were in charge of running the four blenders for
this section.
What Went Well and What Didn’t
The preliminary determinations for the meal project went seamlessly. The
theme, concept, time and selection of food was agreeable with all parties involved
(myself, my preceptor and the executive chef Rich). The ordering, receiving and storing
aspects were also non-problematic. Nonetheless, there were a few issues that occurred
through the implementation of the meal. For instance, preliminary forecasting was first
done with the insight and expertise of the Executive Chef. These were then recalculated
by the Sous Chef during the ordering procedure. The differing of opinions soon revealed
to be telling sign in implementation of the meal project.
The first issue arose with the form and quantity of yogurt available to produce a
meal. Unfortunately the yogurt the recipe called for was unavailable. Therefore, a quick
remedy was devised by the management team. While this appeared to be a minor blip
that was quickly resolved, it had slowly developed into subtle rift between individuals
within the management team. Although this occurred below surface level it may or may
not have crept into the meal project implementation. Nonetheless, I made a concerted
effort during the implementation to offer aid and assistance whenever possible.
The initial preparation of the meal project went well. I myself participated in
Michael Williams
Dietetic Intern Meal Project – 3/24/11
depth as to soften the burden for the employees. Though I personally wished that I
could have done more, everyone was very appreciative of the assistance.
The next major issue arose during service. While the majority of the meal
stations were unhinged, the smoothie side of the V was hit hard. The location of the
smoothies was directly in front of the entrance. Due to this location it was a first stop
for the students. It also appeared that many thought that the smoothies were the only
special part of the breakfast therefore they quickly rushed in line. Complicating matters
further was the understaffing of the Appian Way which required that I leave smoothie
side of The V and prepare eggchiladas. Employees and management stepped in to assist
with the smoothies, but even with four people (one at each blender) there was still a
hold up at the line. This large influx of consumers and preeminent focus on turnaround
time made it difficult to impart the “The Balanced Way” message while keeping the line
efficient.
A similar issue with the yogurt occurred with strawberries. Just 20 minutes prior
to the end of service, the strawberries for smoothies started to run out. Thankfully there
were extra strawberries offered on “pineapple trees” directly in front of the smoothie
section. These trees were pruned to provide the necessary strawberries. Murphy’s Law
then came into effect when as soon as the trees were pruned, the meal service finished.
Recommendations for the Future
There are a few recommendations to take into account for a future service. The
large demand and influx of students for smoothies should be noted. The planning and
design of the smoothie operation was perfect for two employees to produce the
smoothies. Unfortunately the demand exceeded the efficiency of two workers therefore
it required others workers to step in. This rendered the planning and layout of
equipment and food inefficient due to the tremendous backtracking necessary in a tight
knit spaced designed for only two employees.
Michael Williams
Dietetic Intern Meal Project – 3/24/11
A potential reason behind this large influx may be attributed to the signage.
Signage for the Balanced Way meal options being serviced were 8” x 11”. When the line
started to grow the signage became hidden. Consumers walking in the door could only
see a giant line at the V instead of any of the signage indicating that other special meals
were being offered. This led to an increase rush on The V eschewing the other service
areas. If larger signage was available, there is a possibility that each section would be
used more uniformly due to an increased knowledge of other available meals.
Having one chef focus on the project may offer a remedy to the forecasting
issue. The major issue regarding forecasting and purchasing were that executive and
sous chef both took on these areas without speaking with one another. To explain, the
whole project was developed with the executive chef though it was implemented
through the sous chef. This may have been circumstantial as the executive chef was
called out of town for business during the implementation period. It did become
apparent that this form of organization was less than desirable as the Sous chef in
charge of implementation was unaware of all the planning. In future having one Back of
House manager stick and stay with the project may prove beneficial.
Michael Williams
Dietetic Intern Meal Project – 3/24/11
Signage & Marketing Materials
Michael Williams
Dietetic Intern Meal Project – 3/24/11
Michael Williams
Dietetic Intern Meal Project – 3/24/11
Nutritional Analysis
Michael Williams
Dietetic Intern Meal Project – 3/24/11
Michael Williams
Dietetic Intern Meal Project – 3/24/11
Michael Williams
Dietetic Intern Meal Project – 3/24/11
Production Sheets
BW-Smoothie – Banana Strawberry Yogurt (3 Recipes)
Michael Williams
Dietetic Intern Meal Project – 3/24/11
BW Fruit and Cottage Cheese (1 Recipe)
Michael Williams
Dietetic Intern Meal Project – 3/24/11
Egg-Chilada ( 2 Recipes)
Michael Williams
Dietetic Intern Meal Project – 3/24/11
Michael Williams
Dietetic Intern Meal Project – 3/24/11
Poached Egg (3 Recipes)
Michael Williams
Dietetic Intern Meal Project – 3/24/11
Griddle Cakes (4 Recipes)
Michael Williams
Dietetic Intern Meal Project – 3/24/11
Michael Williams
Dietetic Intern Meal Project – 3/24/11