2010 November 23th

Residence Student Dining Committee

Minutes of Meeting

Date: Tuesday, November 23^rd, 2010 – CCT3000

Attendees: UTM Bill McFadden, Andrea De Vito

Chartwells Vicky Jezierski

Students Wonjay Chang, Aly Madhavji, Alessandro Medri, Jeff Wong, Vivian So

1. MASTER PLAN FOR FOOD SERVICES ON CAMPUS
   • Bill reviewed the Master Plan for Food Services on Campus, including the space in the Instructional Center, the Meeting Place renovation, a proposed Colman Commons addition, possible North Building redevelopment, and possible available space in new buildings/additions on campus
   • Existing Shortfall of Food Service Space
     1. Bill mentioned that when he arrived at UTM in 2005-2006, the campus was 24,000 square feet (2,230 nasms) deficient in food service space
     • Bill indicated that the 900 nasms attributed to the Spigel Hall Dining Area were also included as food service space
     2. Bill stated that the norm for amount of food service space on a university campus, as outlined by the Council of Ontario is 0.5nasms/FTE
     • In 2005-2006, the UTM was at 0.34nasms/FTE of food service space
     • Bill projected that the UTM would be at 0.36nasms/FTE by 2011/2012
     • Bill set 0.45nasms/FTE as the ideal target for UTM, allowing for a maximization of food services in an efficient footprint
   • Value Equation
     1. Bill reviewed his Value Equation: Value = Product + Service + Location + Ambiance + Image
     2. The goal of Food Services is to achieve a 1:1 relationship between Value and Price, while managing the fact that everyone defines Value differently
     3. A key component of the Master Plan for Food Services is to create spaces for people to relax and connect
     4. Bill stated that, currently, the face of Food Services at the UTM was the Meeting Place
   • Specific Plans for the Future
     1. Bill reviewed a plan to build a coffeehouse-type addition to Colman Commons with lounge seating and a fireplace to provide students with a more relaxed space
     • This project was originally proposed for completion in 2011, but the planning for an outlet in the Instructional Center took the focus and the budget away
   2. Bill touched on the challenges with Procurement at the UofT in relation to securing off-campus partners and to deciding on what concepts to include in any food service expansion/renovation on campus
   • Eating vs. Dining
     1. Bill defined ‘Eating’ as the act of combating hunger, which relates to the consumer behaviour of grabbing something quick, particularly in transit
        • In this regard, Food Services needs to bring the Food to the People
        • Current examples: CCT, Starbucks
        • Future projects: Instructional Center
        • Ø The University did not want the smell of cooking foods flowing through the Instructional Center
        • Ø Consequently, Hospitality and Retail Services has planned for an outlet with 3 quick-service concepts – coffee, grilled sandwiches/deli, and grab ‘n’ go with a central cash – with the ability for the outlets to work harmoniously or individually
     2. Bill defined ‘Dining’ as experiential food consumption that occurred over a longer duration of time, usually involving a lounging or socializing aspect
        • In this regard, Food Services needs to bring the People to the Food
        • Current examples: South Building renovation, North Building, Colman Commons, Spigel
          • Ø Bill explained that the Main Entrance to the South Building from Parking Lots 4 and 8 used to be through Spigel before the RAWC was built
          • Ø Now, Spigel’s location (now considered the ‘basement’ of the South Building) as a servery is no longer ideal and, as a result, is becoming more expensive to operate given its declining sales
          • Ø The future plan is to maintain (and expand) the Main Kitchen as a Commissary, convert the seating area into a multi-purpose space, close the servery, and move the capacity of the servery to the new Food Service space when the South Building is renovated
          • Ø Bill also demonstrated that the addition of the Instructional Center stretches the campus, thus making the North Building as a destination more meaningful, but any changes to the North Building cafeteria must also consider any proposed changes to the North Building itself, which have not been finalized as of yet
   • Funding for Master Plan
     1. The students asked if Hospitality and Retail Services received any subsidies to fund Food Service space development in the Instructional Center, to which Bill replied no – Hospitality and Retail Services must fund the space development on its own as outlined in the UofT’s policies regarding Ancillary Services (see Proposed Meal Plan Increases for 2011-12 below)
     2. Bill described the UofT’s overall approach to Food Services as stemming from a St. George-centric approach
     • With a litany of Food Service choices surrounding the downtown campus, on-campus Food Services is not a priority
     • At the UTM, Administration is increasing its focus on Food Services
       • Ø Originally, Hospitality and Retail Services was left out of the discussions surrounding the inclusion of Food Service space in the Instructional Center
       • Ø After concerted effort, the University agreed to provide space for Food Service in the Instructional Center, agreed to allow Hospitality and Retail Services to alter the space to fit a more appropriate Food Service footprint, and agreed to provide base utilities to the Food Service space
2. 2. PROPOSED MEAL PLAN RATE INCREASES FOR 2011-2012
   • Bill outlined the proposed Meal Plan rate increases for next year as follows:

• Bill explained that Hospitality and Retail Services is taking a calculated risk by keeping the Meal Plan rate increases relatively low despite the fact that Food Service capacity will increase
1. However, Bill feels that an increase in cash business due to the additional Food Services at the Instructional Center and an upward trend in the student population will cover costs of future growth
• The proposed Meal Plan rates will be presented as part of the first iteration of the budget at ECC
• Ø FOLLOW-UP – Bill reported that all indications from other Universities in Ontario are pointing to around a 3-4% increase in Meal Plan rates for next year, while UTM is only looking to increase Meal Plan rates by slightly over 2%
3. 3. REVIEW OF FOOD SERVICE SURVEY – CUSTOMER PREFERENCES RESULTS
   • Bill reviewed the results of the survey handed out to Residence students from March to May 2010
   • Summary of Results
     1. Surveys were filled out by approximately 20% of Residence students
     2. Ranking of factors with respect to Food Services at UTM in terms of importance, with first being most important: (1) Quality (2) Price (3) Nutritional Content (4) Portion Size (5) Store Name
     3. Preference for Branded Concepts was slightly higher than Preference for Non-Branded Concepts, but both were considered important
     4. Ranking of preference for specific nationally-branded food service concepts, with first being most preferred: (1) Booster Juice (2) Manchu Wok (3) Subway (4) Teriyaki Experience (5) New York Fries (6) Harvey’s (7) Pizza Pizza (8) Mr. Sub (9) Pita Pit (10) Yogen Fruz (11) KFC (12) Taco Bell
        • Notable write-ins: McDonald’s, Thai Express
        • Bill explained that McDonald’s would not allow an outlet to open on a University Campus due to the unionized nature of the labour
     5. Ranking of preference for specific non-branded food service concepts, with first being most preferred: (1) Chinese (2) Greek (3) Italian (4) Japanese (5) Deli Sandwiches (6) Grill/Burger and Fries (7) Submarine Sandwiches (8) Indian (9) Middle Eastern (10) Halal (11) Vegetarian (12) African (13) Vegan
        • Notable write-in: Korean
        • Bill noted that the strong preference for Deli Sandwiches influenced the decision to include this concept in the Instructional Center
     6. Ranking of preference for specific coffee concepts, with first being most preferred: (1) Starbucks (2) Tim Hortons (3) Second Cup (4) Timothy’s (5) Williams (6) Roaster’s (7) Seattle’s Best (8) Coffee Time
        • Bill indicated that the strong preference for Second Cup influenced the decision to include this concept in the Meeting Place
          • Ø Bill recounted the proposed Tim Horton’s self-serve kiosk initially slated for the current Second Cup location and how the concept was pulled from UTM (along with other universities), so the UTM needed to act fast to get another concept to fill the space
     7. Bill identified a couple of questions on the survey that would be modified or eliminated from the revised survey without compromising the intended purpose of the survey to be issued in the new year
4. 4. OLD BUSINESS
   • Hours of Operation at Colman Commons for Exams
     1. The students agreed to the proposed hours of operation for Colman Commons for exams, but requested that the closing time on Saturday, December 4^th be extended from 9pm to 10pm to accommodate the significant amount of first year students who will likely have returned to Residence by this point from the Study Break in order to prepare for an exam Monday morning
        • Ø ACTION – Vicky and Andrea agreed to review the Exam Schedule and determine what change to the closing time on Saturday, December 4^th would be made
        • Ø FOLLOW-UP – Vicky and Andrea reviewed the Exam Schedule and determined that the closing time for all the stations at Colman Commons would remain at 9pm but access to the servery and the C-Store would extend until 10pm
   • Posting of Prices
     1. Most prices are now prominently displayed, but the students were wondering about fruit prices
        • Ø ACTION – Vicky agreed to follow-up to ensure prices for all regular and seasonal fruit were posted
          
   • Dual Display at POS
   1. Andrea stated that the Dual Display hardware is ready and was tested on November 23^rd, but there appeared to be a software conflict with Blackboard, so the issue has been escalated to Blackboard – a resolution should be in place before the next meeting
   • Sheridan
   1. Bill explained that, once we receive the required I/P addresses from Sheridan, Bill will travel to Sheridan with Diane (I/T and TCard Specialist) to install the TCard readers, after which, Hospitality and Retail Services will send out communication regarding the new food service outlets that accept the UTM Meal Plan
   • Price Survey
     1. Bill handed out a suggestion for items to include in a Price Survey to send out to CCUFSA members
        • Ø ACTION – The students agreed to forward their list of products to include in a pricing survey to Bill and Andrea shortly after the meeting
          
   • Promo Calendar
     1. Vicky presented the students with the November Promo Calendar and highlighted some events occurring over the month
        • Vicky pointed out that Flexitarianism (eating vegetable-based proteins that look and taste like meat) is a growing trend, and Chartwells offers some new recipes on Mondays that include proteins that fall into the Flexitarian category
        • Vicky explained that, on Thursday, November 25^th, Chartwells would be featuring food offerings from recipes by Gordon Ramsey, and any person purchasing one of these menu items would receive a ballot for a Gordon Ramsey recipe book
     2. Vicky also presented a preliminary version of the December Promo Calendar
        • Ø ACTION – Vicky agreed to give copies of the December Promo Calendar to the students to post on the Dons’ bulletin boards
   • Shawarma
     1. The students asked why the Shawarma machine was not in service
        • Vicky replied that Chartwells corporately has suspended all unit-level shawarma programs due to food safety around internal food temperature – she indicated that most accounts use a pre-made shawarma that is delivered frozen
        • Vicky clarified that Colman Commons made their shawarma from scratch, eliminating the internal food temperature issues that lead the company to suspend the pre-made shawarma program, and she is waiting on Chartwells Quality and Assurance Department to approve the procedures Colman Commons uses to prepare their ‘from scratch’ shawarma
        • Vicky is pushing to restart the shawarma program and have Colman Commons’ ‘from scratch’ procedures approved before the end of exams
   • Recent Operational Audits for Pizza Pizza and Tim Hortons
     1. Vicky and Andrea reviewed recent Pizza Pizza and Tim Hortons audits completed by District Managers from each of the 2 companies for the respective outlets in the Meeting Place
     • All audits were above acceptable scores
5. 5. NEW BUSINESS
   • Debit at Colman Commons
     1. The students asked about the possibility of having Debit at Colman Commons
     2. The students were aware that the reason that Debit wasn’t initially set up at Colman Commons was to maintain the space as mostly dedicated to Meal Plan users
     3. The students stated that, once Meal Plan users run out of Meal Plan money, they are more apt to want to pay with Debit and will buy their food elsewhere than try to get cash to spend at Colman Commons
     4. Vicky suggested another alternative to Debit is to have an ATM located at OPH
        • Ø ACTION – Bill agreed to look into the option of having Debit at Colman Commons or of having an ATM at OPH
   • Work Study Students
     1. The students asked about the possibility of using Work Study Students to complete some casual work for Hospitality and Retail Services
        • Bill mentioned that Hospitality and Retail Services currently employs 2 casual employees, but can look into the budget and see if Work Study Students could fit and to determine what viable projects they could work on
        • Vicky mentioned that, of her 160 employees, approximately 70% were students
   • Other New Business
     1. The students outlined an Awards Ceremony they were planning for January in the RAWC that would include honouring some of the Chartwells employees that have been extremely helpful to students in the past
     2. The students asked about the possibility of including an Asian Concept in the Master Plan in the short or long term
        • Suggestions were discussed, including a simple, short term Asian table in the Meeting Place, an Asian table in Spigel, partnering with an Asian concept off-campus, or including more Asian-specific choices in Colman
        • Bill remarked that, until procurement challenges were overcome and a committed timeline was outlined for the Meeting Place, any short- or long-term Asian concept would have to wait
     3. The students asked about the ability for Hospitality and Retail Services to secure loans from the UofT
        • Bill explained that there were no funds available with which Ancillary Services could secure mortgages

Next Meeting: TBA for New Year