Evolution of College & University Foodservice

By Paul Fairbrook
Published in the Canadian College & University Food Services Association (CCUFSA)  Magazine (Winter 2006)

By the 1980s, students had become more sophisticated and assertive. Personal computers hit the market and such companies as C-Bord, General Meters, and others were intro­ducing computerized meal cards, which quickly expanded into an "all-campus card." The focus shifted to increasing student participation and the famous "missed meal factor" began its long overdue demise, being replaced with concepts like "cash equivalency," "a-la-carte dollars," and retail price discounts. Many schools, to protect their debt service, de-ducted the debt service, labor costs, and overhead costs up front, and offered their students the "point system," whereby food purchased via meal plans was priced nearly at cost.

Concurrently, convenience stores (C-stores) became popu­lar on campuses. Foodservice managers had to learn an en­tirely new skill set: how to run a grocery store and blend sales into the overall foodservice operation. Since the 1980s, C-stores have undergone much transformation, many of them adding made-to-order items, pizza, and other fast foods.

Campus dining programs became more retail oriented in an effort to provide the variety and quality of service and cuisine found in restaurants. From the monotonous straight line cafeterias with their limited choices came food courts, with multiple serving stations devoted to specific food gen­res, such as grill items, American fare, Pacific-rim-inspired en-trees, and Latin cuisine.

This change in physical facilities became even more radical when a number of schools followed the example of the Swiss and German commercial cafeteria chain Moevenpick's by establishing "marketplace" service areas, where the emphasis was on freshly prepared food, crates of vegetables, and baskets of fruits placed on the floor or hung from the ceiling to emulate a fresh food market.

In the 1990s, campus foodservice became even more chal­lenging. School administrations were demanding more con­tributions from food services to their general fund while resi­dence hall occupancy was down. Student tastes were changing, and many cash operations were operating on a break-even basis, or even at a loss. Fast food franchises dis­covered the campus community to be a rich source of poten­tial sales. National, regional, and local brands issued license and franchise agreements to numerous campuses, creating a "brand revolution." Students responded to the introduction of branded products with unexpected enthusiasm. At the University of Southern California, the new Carl's Jr. hamburger franchise became the highest grossing Carl's Jr. unit in all of Southern California. Foodservice at the University of California – San Diego's student union consisted exclusively of brand operations, and the University of Western Ontario ex­perienced a dramatic turnaround by introducing branded op­erations. The increasing student interest in smaller units offer­ing such brand items as Starbucks, Taco Bell, and Freshens sparked satellite unit establishments at the far ends of cam­puses. By 2000, many campus foodservice directors were in-stalling or considering the installation of branded units on their campus.

As part of the increasing competition between the growing number of contractors as well as the self-operated dining serv­ices, schools started to introduce "exhibition cooking," a trend that has became the norm rather than the exception. The Uni­versity of Massachusetts, the University of Washington, Vir­ginia Tech, Stanford University, UC — Berkeley, and many oth­ers now offer "cooking on demand" or "just-in-time cooking" for many entrée items. Dishes are stir-fried in woks right before students' eyes, sandwiches are tailor-made, roasts are sliced one serving at a time, and a variety of omelets are prepared-to-order. Several schools have also introduced do-it-yourself concepts, where students can fry their own eggs, cook their own waffles, and, at the University of Massachu­setts, stir-fry their own Asian foods in individual frying pans.

Perhaps the most dramatic change in student eating prefer­ences is the demand for grab-and-go items. Increasing num­bers of students prefer to take their food with them instead of sitting down in the dining room. While take-out has been common in college and university foodservice for years, it was never the defining feature it is today.

At the 2000 Chef Culinary Conference, the Center for Culinary Development in San Francisco gave a detailed report on this ever-growing trend. It stated that "hand-held foods have unassumingly become the #1 growth segment in the U.S. frozen and refrigerated food category." It described the "Meal Eater" as a traditional consumer who eats three square meals a day, but with less time to devote to meals, pre­fers "bowls, burritos, wraps, and skewer-style meals." "The Grazer" eats approximately five smaller meals throughout the day, and eats items such as breakfast bars, smoothies, and pre-prepped fruits and vegetables. According to presenters Kimberly Egan and Marc Halperin, "the challenge for univer­sity foodservice operators is to not only understand what consumers are demanding, but be able to meet those demands in a manner which suits their busy schedules. For example, traditional operating hours may not work anymore."

Today's foodservice directors are meeting this challenge by extending hours and allowing students to use their meal plans in late-night and 24-hour cash operations. A large number of schools have also made arrangements with com­mercial restaurants in town to honor students' meal cards, providing even more opportunities for students to enjoy a va­riety of foods in commercial settings.

As a result of new developments in computer software, dining programs have been able to disseminate information more freely and offer more services to students. Recently, the University of Southern California introduced a new Web-based delivery system, "USC Room Service." With a 24-hour advance notice, students and faculty can order from a com­plete dining menu and have it delivered to their campus address. The University of British Columbia has a similar service allowing customers to create accounts, add items to their cart, and check out via the Internet.

In university libraries, where the serving of food and bever­ages would have once been taboo, campus administrators now aggressively seek satellite snack bars and cafes. Many small, flexible, and even portable satellite units can be found all around campuses. According to Sue Hawkins, director of dining services at the University Center of UC Santa Bar­bara, "I have a satellite unit in an academic building on a side of campus that is less than 200 square feet. It is a cash-only business and has a coffee/espresso cart outside the door. We do about $2,000 per day in this location and are open limited hours. Obviously we consider this completely student-managed store a success."

With items such as espresso coffee, smoothies, sushi, and noodle bowls becoming menu staples, the vaunted "missed meal factor" is no longer a major consideration in the budg­eting plans of most operations. The mandatory meal requirement (now often imposed only on underclassmen) is slowly disappearing. While debt service and contributions to the school's general fund will continue to be an important budg­etary consideration, these funds will come from the net proceeds of all campus foodservice operations—residence halls, cash operations, concessions, and catering.

Student interest in varying international cuisine will also further influence campus dining. In the past, many students might have criticized the serving of Indian or Thai dishes, whereas these and other Southeast Asian dishes are now considered staples. Mediterranean dishes from Greece, Spain, Italy, and Morocco are becoming increasingly popular, as are spicier dishes from the Southwest United States and Mex­ico. This international cuisine trend will require the skills of professionally trained chefs, who are becoming more readily available from various culinary schools and will replace the cooks who have traditionally handled food preparation in the past. 

Managers will also need to be responsive to increasing de­mands for sustainable dining programs, a concept that in­cludes not only the demand for ecological sensitivity but also organically or locally grown produce. Additionally, the de­mand for vegetarian and vegan meals will continue to grow, as approximately 15 percent of college students consider themselves vegetarians.

Furthermore, we are seeing a trend that Paul King, former senior editor of Nation's Restaurant News, recently described as "Dietary Schizophrenia." Americans are "becoming ob­sessed with diets and obesity" and the vagueness of the new food pyramid issued by the Department of Agriculture does little to help the average consumer develop more nutritious eating habits. However, professional dietitians are increasingly available on many campuses to help students meet their dietary objectives.

Colleges and universities are building ultra modern, ex­tremely efficient, state-of-the-art dining centers to replace out-dated facilities. Space previously allowed for kitchens has been drastically curtailed and the service and seating areas are being combined into attractive, harmonious entities. The University of California–Berkeley's new "Crossroads Center, " the University of Washington's "Eleven '01 Café," and Virginia Commonwealth University's "Shafer Court Dining Center" are examples of this new design approach. In these units the standard steam table has been essentially ruled out, serv­ing areas are no longer in a straight line but rather round or serpentine, and all counters are topped with more durable materials such as granite or slate. Interior decor has become a critical part of the facility, with modern lighting, paintings, murals, and signs creating a sophisticated atmosphere. A va­riety of seating arrangements (chairs and tables of varying heights and colors, booths, even individual chairs at serving counters) add to the ambiance and are more conducive to socialization.

Adding to the visual stimulation are animated menu boards, similar to the flat screen 40" LCD menus at each sta­tion of the University of Washington's "Eleven '01 Café." Clear and attractive, these high-tech menus can be changed instantaneously via a computer program to reflect menu or price alterations. These menu boards are a tremendous im­provement and are indicative of what the future brings. 

It is impossible to deny that college foodservice (as we know it) has undergone a complete overhaul from genera­tions past, and will continue to grow and change with each class of students. As the palate of the average student diner grows more sophisticated and eclectic, and the off-campus commercial competition grows more fierce, foodservice directors and campus administrators will continue to be chal­lenged in all facets of dining and as history has proved, will continue to adapt with the times in order to be successful. 

Paul Fairbrook heads Paul Fairbrook Associates, a management consulting firm, and was formerly the director of auxiliary services at the University of the Pacific. He is the author of "The College and University Food Service Manual," and his most recent book is "Catering on Campus." He can be reached at (209) 464-9503 or through his Web site: www.paulfairbrook.com.