Final Comment Continued

Equipment
- Steam kettles- can be used for just about anything short of grilling things…
-Grittle- for meats, grilled sandwiches, eggs
-Pans. Come in all shapes and sizes. The standard pan is full pan (or hotel pan). Full pans are 2” deep. The rest of the pans are broken down into halves, thirds, fourths, sixths, and ninths. They come in 2”, 4”, and 6” variations.
- Convection ovens
- Floor mixers and table mixers
- Steam boxes- rice, vegetables

Preparation (back-up items)
- recipes are printed out from CBOARD according to the forecasted number of servings required for the guest count for the meal
-some items are prepared in advance the day before, however the majority of the food prepared in hot foods comes ready made or canned or partially prepared- such is the nature of an industrial scale foodservice operation.
-always have a back up planned, especially for popular items. For example for my special event dinner I suspected that the gnocchi would sell well therefore we planned on using penne pasta as a back up if the gnocchi ran out

Timing
-Dishes should be prepared by the batch as much as possible in order to preserve freshness
- Dishes should begin to be prepared enough time in advance so that they are ready to eat 15 minutes before the doors open for a meal

Standardization of recipes
- decreases waste, saves on time and labor, and ensures that the product is consistent no matter who is making it.

Appearance/ Quality
-Garnishes- people eat with their eyes therefore appearance is of utmost importance
-It is always important to test the product to ensure that something is not awry
- If you mess up a recipe admit it because the most important thing is customer satisfaction, by serving them a bad product we defeat the ultimate goal of the operation

Through out my stay at Mrs. E’s several of the chill foods and hot foods cooks to it upon themselves to teach me how to make some splendid garnishes.

Tyler showed me how to make curly q’s out of bell peppers by deveining them and letting them set in ice water over night
Jwyanza showed me what a little color can do for a dish by adding a variety of bell pepper carrots and parsley to the Feijoada that I made for the World cup dinner
Kirk showed me how to make penguins out of eggs, octopi out of bananas and fish out of lemons
Kuni…Kuni made the most amazing flowers and a bird of paradise out of apples
Marsha made sharks out of cucumbers
-My dinner guest of the future will never find their plates looking dull that for sure!

Hot Foods Checklist:
Hot Foods ready 15 minutes in advance of service time
Food matches menus or substitutions
Temperatures are recorded and correct
Foods have eye appeal
Batch cooking items are not cooked too far in advance
Portion Utensils are correct on the lines
Foods are being held in refrigeration until its time for them to be prepared
Gloves are being worn when appropriate
Fryer grease is being changed when needed



“Three sink method”
-This method as it states entails using three sinks. The first sink is for washing dishes with soap to remove any food and debris. The second sink is for rinsing the dishes with clean water, and the third sink is filled with very hot water or a combination of water and sanitizer. Dishes are submerged in the third sink and then allowed to air dry to ensure proper sanitation.

Staffing and Scheduling
-The dish room at Mrs. E’s requires 10 people to be fully staffed but can be staffed with much less depending on the volume of guests for any given meal, when the guests come in (all at once or gradually), and how many staff are available.
- The positions are as follows : Silverware and paper removal, Plate Scraping (3), Loader, Unloader (2), Silverware sorter, Runner (2)

When we are short staffed other staff from other areas can be rotated into and out of the dining room. When things on the service lines slow down staff can be moved into the dining room to accommodate for the subsequent dish room rush.

Dish room Layout – staff are strategically places so as to maximize efficiency

One at the beginning of the conveyor as it enters the dish room- removing silverware and paper from plates
Three at the gutter- one on gutter 2 and two on gutter 1
One loading the dish machine
Two emptying the dish machine
One sorting silverware
Two running dinner ware and sliverware back out to service stations and sliverware holders

Dish machine

Has 4 cycles: Prewash, Wash (150 °F), Rinse (160°F) , and Final Rinse (180°F)
-it is important that the dish machine reaches a final temperature of 180 in order to ensure that the dinner ware has been sterilized. To emphasize this importance, when the health inspector came to visit, dish machine temperature was something that she checked not once or twice, but three times in one visit.

In between meals:
The dish machine gets turned off, drained, and cleaned.
1. Drain the machine by turning the three leavers located on the bottom of the machine and turn off the steam valve
2. Open metal sliding doors on the side and spray down the insides with the hose removing any food and waste particles. Brush off filters and remove any food waste out of basket filters
3. At the end of the night run the filters, rubber floor mats, and plastic hanging squeegees through the dish machine for cleaning and allow them to dry over night.

I got to spend a few hours in the dish pit, which wasn’t as bad as everyone makes it out to be. I sorted silverware and scraped plates for most of the dinner service. Time flies by when you’re really busy; however when I was working in there the garbage disposable on my side of the gutter was broken so I will admit that it made the experience a little more colorful than usual.





Staff Scheduling

Catering events at Mrs. E’s were very different from the catering event I observed with the KU catering department. For Mrs. E’s staffing was very informal. It mostly involved assigning staff or supervisors that were there on the day of the event and weren’t particularly busy with any pressing projects. The Science Fiction Awards banquet that we hosted at Mrs. E’s required a little extra effort on the production side to actually make the dishes for the event and we simply “stole away” a few of the service staff to help set up the tables and buffet.

For the wedding reception that I worked with KU catering staffing was a little bit different because all of the employees are there specifically for catering and are not part of another operation like at Mrs. E’s. For the reception staff were assigned specific sections of tables to wait upon (bring beverages to, clear plates, and assist otherwise) and were also assigned other specific duties like refilling the buffet line. Over all from what I witnessed it seemed like the staff just kind of adapted to the situation at hand and didn’t particularly have scheduled assignments set in stone.

Menu Planning

For both events the menus were selected by the guests from the KU catering guide. Usually Mrs. E’s has a separate catering guide but the Science Fiction group wanted to use the KU catering guide so we let them. Once they chose their selections this required that we test each recipe in order to figure out how to produce each dish as best we could in our venue. For both events all of the food (with the exception of the wedding cake) was ordered through our regular vendors and produced in house. For the wedding reception at the Union the menu planning was primarily decided by the wedding planner that the party had hired. In most instances guests would consult directly with catering but in this case there was a middle man to deal with which complicated the situation slightly because of course some information got lost in translation.

Food and Beverage Presentation/Event set-up

While setting up for both events I got the opportunity to learn several decorative techniques such as napkin folding. With Jim I learned how to make a “Bird of Paradise” out of a napkin (shown in the picture) and with Ellen, the KU catering coordinator I worked with, I was shown how to make the buffet table come to life by decorating it with lights and gauzy cloth. Jim also showed me another technique for sprucing up the buffet table by placing black lights underneath the table for added dramatic effect. Jim also taught me the keys to a good table setting. For a table setting uniformity is of first and foremost importance. You want all of your place settings to look the same and have the same orientation. Forks go on the left as close to the edge of the table as possible with the salad fork on the outside and entrée fork on the inside. The knives and spoons go on the right with the spoon on the outside. The next aspect of importance is the centerpiece which you want to ensure exhibits elevation. Elevation is also a crucial aspect of the buffet table because it makes for a better appearance and makes items more accessible. Last is the décor. For the Science Fiction banquet we found some painted plaster planets in storage that drastically improved the appearance of the buffet table. I heard nothing but positive comments about it all night from the guests, they got a kick out of it.
As for event set up you want all of your warmers lit and ready a half an hour before the meal, and all food out and ready 15 minutes before the start of the meal. This was more complicated for the KU catering wedding reception because the wedding party was really late and we really didn’t have a clue as to when they would arrive because they were so late. Therefore the food quality suffered a little bit despite our best efforts.

Event clean-up

Pretty self explanatory. Tables are bussed, all dishware and glasses are cleaned and all leftover food is discarded.



I miss you all so much!



Staffing
Every day that I worked with the service supervisors we would sit down and write up the staff schedules for the day. Usually someone would already have prepared the breakfast one so I only worked with the lunch and dinner shifts. Much must be taken into consideration when scheduling staff especially during the summer because all the full time employees from dining halls that are closed for the summer come up to Mrs. E’s. Because we have so many full time staff from so many different locations, in order to avoid confrontation and keep things fair staff are rotated on a daily basis through all areas of the operation. However, there are some employees (like the senior hot foods cook) that remain in the same position because they are the most qualified and there needs to be some consistency to keep things running smoothly. The Service Supervisors typically do all of the scheduling and will then consult with Production. Scheduling is a relatively simple process, that is when enough of the staff decides to show up for work. I think out of the 4-5 weeks I spent in Mrs. E’s there was maybe one day where we were fully staffed. When we are short staffed there are several measures that can be taken to compensate. To begin with, during the summertime we do not serve anywhere near the volume that we serve during the year so most food service stations can be ran with one to two persons, so staff can be removed from food service stations to other locations. Next, staff can be moved into different positions as the meal goes on that follow the flow of the guests. For example, for the initial rush you will want to populate the food service stations with staff then once most of the guests have moved out of the food service area and into the dining area you will want to move the employees to follow them. Therefore staff will next be moved into the dining room and the dish room to accommodate for the shift in guest location. This way tables can be cleaned and prepared for more guests and the dish room does not get overwhelmed. Also, one of the first things that we will do if we are short staffed it make phone calls to part-time employees to see if they want to pick up some extra hours and help us out. On the other side of the spectrum, one of the more drastic measures that can be taken if we are really short staffed is going to paper. When we “go to paper” supervisors can essentially pull everyone but two people from the dish room and use those employees to staff locations that are in need. However, going to paper is not necessarily a desirable action to take because it is very expensive, therefore it is usually avoided at all costs. Also we can close a foodservice station if we are extremely short staffed but that rarely happens because it only provides one more free staff member which usually isn’t enough to make a difference.
The positions that are scheduled are as follows:
Pizza/Pasta, Dessert, Beverage, Grill, Main Dish, Deli, Pots& Pans, Specialty, Monitor, Bakery, Storeroom, Janitor, Cashier, Dining room, Dish room, Hot Foods, Chill Foods, Crew leaders, Supervisors, Managers

Check Lists
--Service Supervisor Check List, Production Supervisor Check List, In-between meals checklist (service), In-between meals assignments (production), Closing check list (production/supervision) Opening check list

Menus
-Should be checked daily for error, substitutes, or run outs. Back-ups should be planned accordingly if it is found that we are lacking a product that a menu item requires. Food on the line should match the menu, menu cards, and any substitutions that have been made.

Supervisor/ Employee Relationships

If there is one thing that I will take away from this experience it is the overwhelming importance of the maintenance of a positive relationship between management and employees. It affects all aspects of the workplace, from service and production and customer satisfaction, down to people actually enjoying their jobs. I’m not saying that supervisors and employees need to be best friends but there definitely needs to be certain level of respect between the two, a respect that goes in both directions. When that respect diminishes then problems that are difficult to remedy arise. Relational and behavioral/attitude issues with employees and supervisors is extremely disruptive because it distracts workers from their jobs putting production and service at a stand still. Therefore it is crucial to develop an atmosphere in the work place that is constructive, one where staff feels that what they are doing is valued and worth their while. While observing the dynamic between management and staff this summer I witnessed both positive and negative instances amongst them which extremely helpful in forming my own philosophy on management style.

Storage/Preparation of food items
-Temperatures- all coolers and hot boxes are at their proper temperatures
- All food items are stored off the floor (6 inches)
-All food items are labeled and dated
-Soda hoses are checked and clean
-Daily frozen items are pulled for thawing
-Using run out as required
-Check to see that no food items are out dated
-Back-ups are planned

Utensils
- All items on the salad bar have the proper utensils. All food service stations have the proper sized serving utensils.

Responsibilities

All supervisors are responsible for sorting, distributing, collecting, and entering data from serving line worksheets into the FMS system.
All supervisors are assigned portions of the inventory to track
All supervisors are responsible for checking that temperatures are being checked and recorded accurately
Planning and directing regular work and special tasks either in the front or back of the house
Coordinating catering events
Ensuring that all employees are present, in uniform, and at appropriate stations
Service- set up and breakdown cashier stations



How you “Lead”: communicate; instruct; teach; explain; debate; direct; praise….

General duties and Responsibilities

The highest in the chain of command on location, final decision making power is vested in the General and Assistant managers. They are the primary resource and senior professional for all staff in the unit. Managers are responsible for maintaining procedures for customer service, production, performance, job and food safety, sanitation, assisting with coordinating staff needs, coordinating staff training, coordinating intern experiences, and promoting a safe and positive work environment.
Customer Service Management
-enhancing the public image of dining services, ensuring that the customer is satisfied. Implements monotony breaker and special events to help improve customer satisfaction.
Production Operations
- coordinated production of daily reports, menu change information, and monitors receiving, storage, issuing, handling, and rotating of inventory and assigns production of inventory reports
3) Safety and Sanitation Management
-developing, implementing, updating, and overseeing the unit’s programs of safety and sanitation practices and procedures. This includes training of staff and creating cleaning schedules
Staffing
- hiring process, interviewing, training, supervises, evaluates, and plans and directs the work of staff
5) Menu Management
-works with senior staff to develop, test, and evaluate appropriate menu “cycle”
6) Equipment/ Facilities
- requests maintenance for equipment when problems arise. Recommends changes to equipment to enhance production etc.

Written Communications- Notice of Counseling, Accident reports, Terminations

Notice of counseling falls into two categories: attendance issues and job performance issues. Attendance issues include absenteeism, tardiness, and no-call-now-shows. Employees (especially full time ones) get a generous amount of paid sick leave in addition to 30 hours of leave that renews every 6 months. In other words, you really have to miss a lot of work here or have 3 no-call-no-shows in a year to get fired. Job performance issues include verbal notices, written notices, and counseling and corrective actions which include four categories: corrective probation, suspension without pay, demotion, and finally dismissal. When a written notice of counseling is procured supervisors or managers must fill out a sheet that displays what counseling and corrective action has been decided upon and then they must detail what the conduct was that requires the disciplinary action, a plan to improve said conduct, and consequences of further disciplinary action. Both superiors and employees must then recognize the notice of counsel by signing it. Thus the main idea behind a notice of counseling is to confront any problems keeping employees aware of their job performance and give them an opportunity to improve if need be.


Staff Scheduling

The overall picture painted was one where labor is minimized as much as is possible while still being able to run the operation efficiently. Most full time employees work four ten hour work days and then get three days off and typically have more specialized positions such as the senior hot foods cook position. Part time employees typically tend to be college students and usually work three hour shifts. I found this system to be much preferable to the one I experienced while working in the dining halls where I go to school because it provides an incredible amount of flexibility, something that is of great value for college students. Trying to find time to work while being a full time student is often difficult so I was glad to see that Mark was able to create a system that was so accommodating, because after all students are at school to learn. We also talked about some of the special needs staff that Mrs. E’s employs. I think it is great that we are able to employ them because it is not just beneficial for them but for the rest of the staff as well because it teaches everyone patience and how to be more tolerant of diversity. Lastly we discussed how the schedule differs during the school year, that mainly being the tremendous increase in part-timer employees. Also, during the school year staff do not rotate through positions as is done during the summer. I think that for the most part it is a good thing during the summer because it “levels the playing field” and gives everyone the opportunity to experience multiple lines of work; however, I have also seen it cause frustration in some of the staff

Evaluations
I learned that every new employee has a probationary period of 6 months at the end of which they receive an evaluation where it is determined whether or not they are meeting the necessary job requirements. The key things Jim and I discussed concerning evaluations were how first, evaluation content should be of no surprise to the employee because management typically is very proactive about confronting any problems that arise with staff through either verbal or written notices of counseling; and second how evaluations should be as straightforward and honest as possible. For example, if an employee has weaknesses and is not performing at an acceptable standard then an evaluating supervisor or manager should not sugar coat the situation and be honest and provide the facts. This process ensures that staff is aware of if they are performing poorly and have been counseled on how to improve. If a pattern of poor performance continues other disciplinary actions, such as suspension, may be enacted with an eventual termination if workers consistently fail to do their jobs. Jim especially spoke to how the aim is to try as hard as possible to keep a people on board because firing people depletes available human resources and is a lengthy process. However, if an employee continues to make a negative impact on the workplace then they need to be let go.


Boosting staff morale- I distinctly remember Mark saying that we should take a group picture once a week because he hasn’t seen people laugh as hard as they did during this photo shoot for a while.





After countless hours of thought, planning, and action we finally all got to experience the 2010 World Cup right here in Mrs. E’s residential dining hall.

Planning a dinner event was in my opinion, the most crucial part of this internship because it brought all the information and processes I have learned throughout the summer together. I had to use almost everything that I have talked about so far through out this presentation. Therefore, not only did it give me a chance to exercise this new skill set but it also gave me a new appreciation for everyone that has to perform the job of running and maintaining a foodservice operation everyday.

I’m so appreciative for all the help I received from all of the staff, management, supervisors, cooks; everyone was truly as helpful as could be.

Overall, I think that there are several things that I could have done to make the event more exciting and run more smoothly.
1) Check, checking, and triple checking that every ingredient of every recipe had arrived and was available in the quantities required
2) Making more of an effort to find, plan, and construct décor
-The décor that I had looked good but I think that I could have included more and had some video clips/highlights from past world cup games. Ideally I would have liked to include more interactive things for the guests to enjoy (like more games) however I think that the guests did enjoy the foozeball table. I think I was so worried about the food turning out alright that I didn’t focus enough on decorating and customer satisfaction.
3) Menus and Menu cards- I completely forgot to draw up menu cards for the event, thankfully Lorraine helped me out with that last minute
4) Creating recipes so that are more easily translatable into FMS- preparing ingredients in weight portions



One of the main reasons that I selected Kansas University as one of the locations for the NACUFS internship was because this programs description on the NACUFS internship website spoke to the many efforts that KU was making to be a more sustainable campus.

However, while KU is certainly making moves towards becoming a more sustainable campus, I did not find that this internship involved participating in any sustainable initiatives. I think that by emphasizing sustainability in KU’s internship description that it might be a little misleading. Or perhaps I did not get to experience much because of it being summer and most sustainable projects are still in their infant phases.

By 2015 plan to implement 3 new sustainability programs: minimum of 25% of items will be procured from local growers and vendors, composting program, roof top garden triple in size.

We have a lot of sustainable initiatives at Virginia Tech the I encourage you all to take a look at some of the things we are doing.
-partnering with local growers to supply multiple dining facilities with local produce, meats, and dairy
-education through a sustainability and agriculture minor
-student garden