2011 February 28th

Residence Student Dining Committee

Minutes of Meeting

Date: Monday, February 28th, 2011, Davis Building Alumni Lounge

Attendees: UTM Bill McFadden, Andrea De Vito

Chartwells Vicky Jezierski, Linda Balfour

Students Wonjay Chang, Alessandro Medri, Jeff Wong, Vivian So, Andreas Djingga, Krystine Wickins

  1. OLD BUSINESS
    • Pizza Pizza Director of Business Development for Pizza Pizza Visit
      1. Bill mentioned that the visit by the Director of Business Development for Pizza Pizza had been delayed and is rescheduled for the near future
      2. The students acknowledged that their taste test between on-campus and off-campus Pizza Pizza items has not occurred as of yet
    • Price Survey
      1. Bill passed around the CCUFSA Pricing Survey
        • Bill identified items on this list that were also on the list for of products for which the students had requested comparative pricing
        • Bill offered to take a list of the remaining products to the CCUFSA Meeting on the weekend
    • Sheridan
      • Bill brought in 2 Thermapods for demonstration
        • Bill asked if the students would buy the Pods and use them to takeout food from Colman Commons, and the students responded that they would
        • Bill stated that a retail price point has not been set for the Pods as it would depend on how many the UTM purchased from the supplier
        • Bill demonstrated that the ThermaPods are virtually leak-proof and, when tested with mashed carrots, the inside white tray did stain when these carrots were stored and heated in it
      • Vicky initiated a discussion regarding the option for students to pre-order food at Colman to take to Sheridan
        • Vicky offered to create order sheets that the students could use to order specific items the night before travelling to Sheridan so that the Colman staff could prepare them for the morning
        • Vicky explained that the orders would have to in by the latest 9pm for the requested items to be ready for the next morning
        • Vicky stated that the prepared items would be placed in the On the Go Fridge and labelled with the student’s name
        • The students asked about the possibility of setting up an on-line pre-ordering system
        • Bill and Vicky commented that an on-line pre-ordering system would be prohibitively administrative to operate
        • The possibility of using the Colman Commons phone extension as another way to place an order was also discussed
        • Vicky iterated that someone would have to be in the office at all times to ensure that no orders would be missed, which would not be feasible because she required all of her managers and supervisors to be on the floor at all times
        • The students remarked that a pre-ordering system with students picking up their items at Colman Commons before going on the bus would work; for almost all Resident Students, Colman Commons is on the way to the North Building and the North Building is now where all Sheridan buses leave from
      • The students inquired as to what menu items would be available for pre-order
        • Vicky felt that items from the Deli and Salad Bar would be easy to make available for pre-order as their menus are relatively static
        • Bill mentioned that items like pastas, stir fries, and hot entrées/sides from the Culinary Table are excellent meal items to take to Sheridan, but these items are on rotational menus and would best be picked up by the students using the ThermaPods on the nights these products were available
        • Ø ACTION – Bill agreed to purchase 15 pods to be distributed to members of the Resident Student Dining Committee and other Sheridan Students for a trial period
        • Ø ACTION – Bill agreed to assemble a ThermaPod Fact Sheet with information on the proper use and care for the ThermaPod
        • Ø ACTION – Vicky agreed to have the pre-order forms ready by next week – forms will be left at the Deli Station for students to use, and Vicky will post the form on the website and will e-mail forms to all Committee members
        • Ø ACTION – Vicky agreed that On the Go Salads will also be made available first thing in the morning in the On the Go Fridge at Colman Commons
        • Ø ACTION – Vicky agreed that, although Chartwells is working to eliminate individually packaged condiments, dressings, and sauces in its outlets, she will order a small amount in to be made available for any pre-ordered items that required them
        • Ø ACTION – Andrea agreed to send out a notification e-mail to all Resident Students when the form was ready
    • Debit/Credit at Colman Commons
      1. Bill commented that, although his preference still is to have customers move into Campus Value Plans instead of using Debit/Credit at Colman Commons (to increase speed of service, to minimize service charges for the customers, to take advantage of the 5% discount, etc.), he conceded that the use of Debit/Credit at the UTM is so ingrained in the culture that it would be difficult to change people’s purchasing behaviours
        • Ø ACTION – Bill agreed to installing 1 Debit/Credit device at Colman Commons to be ready for the fall
  2. NEW BUSINESS
    • Colman Commons Expansion
      1. Bill reviewed a preliminary expansion plan of Colman Commons that included a coffeehouse with softer seats, smaller tables, and a fireplace
      2. Bill asked the students what they would like to see in an expanded Colman Commons
        • The students wanted a quieter seating section as the existing seating area is too loud
        • Bill recalled the small seating area with smaller tables and softer seats that used to exist where the C-Store is, and the students who also remembered that time commented that those seats were always the most popular seats
        • Bill felt that the existing seating area needs to be changed by adding dimmable lighting and upgrading the flooring, but these were more long-term projects
        • The students also requested more 2- and 4-person tables
      3. The students liked the idea of having either a coffeehouse concept or a “Proudly Brewing” self-serve Starbucks with an attached barista station
        • The students thought that having a 2-sided coffee counter, with one side being in the seating area and one side being in the server, would allow students to get coffee from the servery as well and would minimize line-ups (and the accompanying increase in noise) in the seating area
      4. Bill also wanted to include the relocation of the existing dish return area to a spot adjacent to the dish room as part of the Colman Commons expansion project
      5. Ideas of other possible items to include as part of the expansion project, as generated by all parties:
        • Updated paint
        • Blinds for the seating area
        • Music system
        • A use for the TVs that reflected more of an escape from the programming that appears on the TVs (when the TVs are actually on), or a complete removal of the TVs altogether
        • Fireplace
        • Outdoor patio
      6. Bill proposed a reasonable timeframe for the expansion to occur as sometime in the 2012-13 academic year
      7. Bill felt that people want to go to a food service space on campus to disconnect
      8. The students suggested that the coffeehouse could serve pastries, cakes, etc., and could be open later than the servery
        • Bill would consider this proposal provided that the extra revenue of opening later would support the extra cost, and he acknowledged the staffing issues that might arise as a result of the later hours
        • The students discussed the notion that, if Colman Commons were a warmer place, more students might want to work in that environment
    • Water Filling Stations
      1. Bill provided an overview of the plan to install water filling stations (a combination of a water fountain and a water bottle filling station) to replace the existing water fountains on campus
      2. Bill explained that, although food services is providing free water through dispensers at all pop fountains on campus, the provision of free water on campus is an institutional issue, not a food services issue (Building Code requires the provision of free water in all buildings)
      3. Bill stated that the UTM would reduce the amount of bottled water on campus if there were more places that allowed people to fill up their water bottles at the UTM
      4. Bill commented on the work that the Green Team and the Environmental Courses have been doing to help bring the recommendations for the installations of these filling stations forward
      5. Bill discussed with the students the misconceptions surrounding tap water
        • Some of the students would only drink tap water if it were filtered
        • Bill explained that water filling stations with filters would be significantly more expensive than unfiltered water filling stations to install and to maintain
        • Bill reassured the students that tap water is regulated, bottled water is not, and that the proposed water filling stations would provide refrigerated water
    • Questions from the Students
      1. The students again wondered who was presently in charge of the TVs in Colman (Residence is)
      2. The students asked if the cookies available at Colman Commons were baked fresh everyday
        • Linda stated that the cookies were baked each morning, but they were not the same brand or size as the cookies available at Circuit Break Café
      3. The students asked if the smaller Booster Juice size available at off-campus Booster Juices could be made available at the UTM
        • Bill stated that there is only 150sqft of space for the existing Booster Juice footprint, and, corporately, Booster Juice would only endorse the large size to be made available in a store of this size
        • Bill explained that the additional volume that would ensue as a result of offering the smaller size at the current Booster Juice location may not be supported by the labour that can safely and comfortably work in that workspace
        • Bill mentioned that he has previously operated a Booster Juice that offered both sizes and, based on his experience, the sales mix averaged 75% large sizes vs. 25% small sizes
        • The students acknowledged that, in general, smoothies are popular at the UTM
        • Bill suggested that, as part of the Meeting Place renovation, it may be worthwhile including an expanded Booster Juice that would offer both sizes of smoothies
    • Vicky distributed and reviewed Chartwells’ Promotional Calendar for March
      1. March 8th – Pancake Day – Pancakes will be available at Colman Commons for breakfast and at Spigel for lunch
      2. March 15th – Decorate Your Donut Day – Large Donuts will be available for customers to decorate with their own toppings
      3. March 17th – St. Patrick’s Day – Vicky explained that the Head Chef at Colman Commons also works at an Irish Pub and he will be developing an Irish Pub-inspired menu for St. Patrick’s Day to be served at Colman Commons
      4. March 21st-24th – Mediterranean Week – March 23rd will be the Lobster Dinner at the Chef’s Table
      5. Vicky gave extra calendars to distribute to the Dons to post

Next Meeting: Monday, March 21st, 2011, 7:00pm, Davis Building Alumni Lounge 3138