For far too long, the operators of company and campus dining services have focused on the popularity of the foods they offer, with no concern for their nutritional value," says Angela Phelan, senior vice president of Clarion Group. "Now it's time to reverse that trend. Customers are asking for better, healthier foods and expect their at-work or on-campus cafes will provide it."
Under the new federal health care legislation, all food service operators of 20 or more locations will be required to post calorie counts next to food items on their menus. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will determine whether more information will be required.
Operators also must make written data about dishes' nutritional content available to diners on request. The U.S. Food and Drung Administration is empowered to determine whether the information was developed "on a reasonable basis." The requirements will be expanded in the future, Ms Phelan predicts.
The increasing demand for healthier foods dovetails with the need to improve the sustainability of our environment, according to Ms Phelan. "The use of fresh, organic foods, grown locally, and efficient food preparation and operating practices are key elements of an effective sustainability program, she said.
Clarion Group's Fresh & Natural program may be a solution for companies and institutions seeking to improve the value of their on-site food services. The program was developed by Clarion Group under Ms Phelan's leadership to constructively respond to these issues for on-site food service operations. The program includes imaginative, nutritious meals prepared "from scratch" using fresh, locally-sourced ingredients; elimination of junk foods; promotion of nutrition information and education, complementing the company's or college's own wellness initiatives.
The Fresh & Natural approach includes enhancing sustainability and reducing operating costs by incorporating efficient operating practices; employing energy-efficient "Energy Star" equipment; conservation of utilities, water and energy, and waste reduction through recycling, pulping, composting and other ecologically-beneficial practices.
Fresh & Natural currently is in development or under discussion at three Clarion clients, Ms Phelan reports.
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
The Dining Center as an Oasis
By Angela Phelan
Senior Vice President
Clarion Group
The business of hospitality, running a food service operation, rests on its core mandate: To offer good, healthy food to customers, whether they are students in a large university or the staff of a high-powered law or financial firm -- or to the very youngest customers trying to get through their day in fifth grade.
But hospitality connotes food and rest.
This central goal of providing good, healthy food costs time, money and above all, the good will of the team designated to run it. But note that I suggest food and rest. This is a novel concept. I rarely hear anyone talking about rest when discussing what food service has to offer its customers.
Interestingly, the only client I ever had that considered the rest that its dining service could offer to its customers was one of the Swiss banks who, from their main headquarters abroad carefully guided the U.S. designers in the art and science of caring for its employees. They insisted on a separate area for dessert and coffee, a few yards away from the main servery and seating area. Chairs are softer, lower, set around coffee tables (literally). The floors in that area are carpeted, the lighting lower.
The Swiss concept was that the downtime offered by dessert and coffee was a better way to transition back to work at a desk, telephone and any number of competing computer screens. This novel concept -- at least for the hard-charging Americans -- seemed almost quaint. To consider the psychological as well as the basic nutritional needs of employees (or students) was partically off the scale.
Restaurateurs, of course, are well aware that the time devoted to dessert and coffee can add many dollars to their bottom line. To be sure, one must make a choice between "turning the table" and the benefits of adding dollars to the check by selling the customer another hour's worth of food and drink. The downtime tends to enhance the customer's mood; tips are more generous.
Now we should consider the news reported in The New York Times recently. There is new data being assembled in some school districts in Texas and other states. Educators have discovered that simply by reversing the order of lunch with recess, the students were more relaxed, ate their meals more slowly, drank more milk or water and were generally in a better frame of mind to resume their classes and focus more readilly on their work.
This uptick in productivity, arrived at by such a simple and "old fashioned" notion of allowing students to take a full half-hour for lunch after their recess period was enormously revealing. All those time-and-motion studies designed to increase productivity have been turned on their heads by this simple, timeless notion. Let them rest before taking up the balance of their workday.
This could be an important way to give the employee a quiet time to "reset and recharge."
For those of us who design dining facilities for our clients, this is a very interesting and satisfying study. Americans traveling to Italy and France return with newfound respect for the leisurely meal, noting that the temperment of the diners appears to be more relaxed.
This is an extraordinarily difficult time in the world. Stress is the word on the lips of just about everyone over the age of seven: Too much homework, too much overtime, too much and too little of everything.
Serving the needs of one's employees, stressed as they are, requires some thought. Perhaps we should think about providing not only excellent food, but offering a quarter-hour of restful time before returning to work. Suppose we consider carpeting a quarter of the seating space, taking out the lunch tables and arranging some comfortable chairs and coffee tables. Sounds a little familiar? A little like your neighborhood Starbucks?
This could clear the dining area for others and subtly move them to the coffee and conversation area fo a little rest and recharge. A lawyer at one of our client firms, where we were in the throes of redesigning the cafe made this suggestion. Clearly, his travels abroad or a good deal of time in a Starbucks influenced his thinking.
So the firm created an "Oasis" for their associates, complete with foosball tables, a big coffee bar and some comfortable armchairs. It's actually on another floor from the cafe and it's a great success.
We would like to see the good will that could come from giving employees a restful, healthy break at lunch, encourage the R&R concept by moving some tables out and bringing in some comfortable chairs.
Do you have some room in your cafe or in an adjacent space? If you would like some help in putting it together, give us a call. Clarion can make it work.
After all, an Oasis shouldn't be a mirage.
Contact Angela Phelan at 973/544-6223 or e-mail us at info@clariongp.com.
PS: Do you have an arrangement like this that works for you? Write and let us know, either by leaving a comment or by e-mail to info@clariongp.com.
Senior Vice President
Clarion Group
The business of hospitality, running a food service operation, rests on its core mandate: To offer good, healthy food to customers, whether they are students in a large university or the staff of a high-powered law or financial firm -- or to the very youngest customers trying to get through their day in fifth grade.
But hospitality connotes food and rest.
This central goal of providing good, healthy food costs time, money and above all, the good will of the team designated to run it. But note that I suggest food and rest. This is a novel concept. I rarely hear anyone talking about rest when discussing what food service has to offer its customers.
Interestingly, the only client I ever had that considered the rest that its dining service could offer to its customers was one of the Swiss banks who, from their main headquarters abroad carefully guided the U.S. designers in the art and science of caring for its employees. They insisted on a separate area for dessert and coffee, a few yards away from the main servery and seating area. Chairs are softer, lower, set around coffee tables (literally). The floors in that area are carpeted, the lighting lower.
The Swiss concept was that the downtime offered by dessert and coffee was a better way to transition back to work at a desk, telephone and any number of competing computer screens. This novel concept -- at least for the hard-charging Americans -- seemed almost quaint. To consider the psychological as well as the basic nutritional needs of employees (or students) was partically off the scale.
Restaurateurs, of course, are well aware that the time devoted to dessert and coffee can add many dollars to their bottom line. To be sure, one must make a choice between "turning the table" and the benefits of adding dollars to the check by selling the customer another hour's worth of food and drink. The downtime tends to enhance the customer's mood; tips are more generous.
Now we should consider the news reported in The New York Times recently. There is new data being assembled in some school districts in Texas and other states. Educators have discovered that simply by reversing the order of lunch with recess, the students were more relaxed, ate their meals more slowly, drank more milk or water and were generally in a better frame of mind to resume their classes and focus more readilly on their work.
This uptick in productivity, arrived at by such a simple and "old fashioned" notion of allowing students to take a full half-hour for lunch after their recess period was enormously revealing. All those time-and-motion studies designed to increase productivity have been turned on their heads by this simple, timeless notion. Let them rest before taking up the balance of their workday.
This could be an important way to give the employee a quiet time to "reset and recharge."
For those of us who design dining facilities for our clients, this is a very interesting and satisfying study. Americans traveling to Italy and France return with newfound respect for the leisurely meal, noting that the temperment of the diners appears to be more relaxed.
This is an extraordinarily difficult time in the world. Stress is the word on the lips of just about everyone over the age of seven: Too much homework, too much overtime, too much and too little of everything.
Serving the needs of one's employees, stressed as they are, requires some thought. Perhaps we should think about providing not only excellent food, but offering a quarter-hour of restful time before returning to work. Suppose we consider carpeting a quarter of the seating space, taking out the lunch tables and arranging some comfortable chairs and coffee tables. Sounds a little familiar? A little like your neighborhood Starbucks?
This could clear the dining area for others and subtly move them to the coffee and conversation area fo a little rest and recharge. A lawyer at one of our client firms, where we were in the throes of redesigning the cafe made this suggestion. Clearly, his travels abroad or a good deal of time in a Starbucks influenced his thinking.
So the firm created an "Oasis" for their associates, complete with foosball tables, a big coffee bar and some comfortable armchairs. It's actually on another floor from the cafe and it's a great success.
We would like to see the good will that could come from giving employees a restful, healthy break at lunch, encourage the R&R concept by moving some tables out and bringing in some comfortable chairs.
Do you have some room in your cafe or in an adjacent space? If you would like some help in putting it together, give us a call. Clarion can make it work.
After all, an Oasis shouldn't be a mirage.
Contact Angela Phelan at 973/544-6223 or e-mail us at info@clariongp.com.
PS: Do you have an arrangement like this that works for you? Write and let us know, either by leaving a comment or by e-mail to info@clariongp.com.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Survey Finds Opportunities for Campus Dining Services
"On the whole, [college] students exhibit relatively erratic dining behavior and tend to include a fair amount of snacks in their diet each day," says Technomic, a consumer research company, in reporting the results of its 2009 survey of college students.
While this observation may not be news to college dining service managers, the details of Technomic's survey results are worth noting. Ignoring these data may result in reduced patronage and meal plan participation as students find more satisfying off-campus alternatives.
The survey confirms that today's students have a casual approach to meals and consider them occasions to be as much social occasions as necessary "refueling" activities. They want to eat, or at least nibble, whenever and where ever the mood strikes them, typically while studying, with friends in a social setting or in their dorms.
Some key findings reported by Technomic:
Students have cars to reach off-campus eating spots and telephones to order from off-campus delis, Chinese restaurants and pizza parlors that deliver. They are providing services and conveniences that the campus dining service can offer and are taking in dollars that could be in the dining service's coffers.
Actions campus dining service operators can take to increase customer counts and revenue include:
While this observation may not be news to college dining service managers, the details of Technomic's survey results are worth noting. Ignoring these data may result in reduced patronage and meal plan participation as students find more satisfying off-campus alternatives.
The survey confirms that today's students have a casual approach to meals and consider them occasions to be as much social occasions as necessary "refueling" activities. They want to eat, or at least nibble, whenever and where ever the mood strikes them, typically while studying, with friends in a social setting or in their dorms.
Some key findings reported by Technomic:
- More than a third of men and 48% of women surveyed said they replace one or more meals per day with snacks.
- Thirty-seven percent of respondents said they eat three meals a day and snack in between.
- Fifty-one percent of men and 35% of women said they want later dining hours on campusand 32% of men and 22% of women would like to have campus delivery service.
Students have cars to reach off-campus eating spots and telephones to order from off-campus delis, Chinese restaurants and pizza parlors that deliver. They are providing services and conveniences that the campus dining service can offer and are taking in dollars that could be in the dining service's coffers.
Actions campus dining service operators can take to increase customer counts and revenue include:
- Increase the choice of snack-type foods in the dining center, including packaged "grab-and-go" items.
- Make meal plans more flexible to accomodate the new, more casual meal preferences.
- Extend dining center hours.
- Keep at least one campus coffee bar, deli or similar facility open into the wee hours, at least Monday through Thursaday and Sunday night. Only one or two attendants would be needed.
- Offer snack options that reflect the tastes and preferences of the campus. Pizza isn't the only food students like.
- Offer dorm delivery service at night. Weekend days also may be a profitable time to offer this service for those who don't feel like coming to the dining hall.
- Adapt the meal plan so that meal cards can be used at any campus dining facility and to pay for deliveries.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Viewpoint
Adapting to Changing Times
Dining Insights, Fall 2009
The times they are a-changing
Bob Dylan wrote and sung that back in 1964 in a time of ferment and change. It would have been just as timely if he had introduced it in 2009.
At Clarion Group, we've been changing to keep up with - and get a step or two ahead of - the changes in the economy, in companies, on campuses and in life that have been going on around us, for the benefit of our clients.
Over the course of 2009, we have . . .
Ernie Wilder, who managed all these services at the International Monetary Fund, has joine Clarion to add the expertise we need to effectively consult on these specialties - either as an integrated project covering all dining and facilities servicesor for the separate components.
We worked with Ernie at the IMF and know his capabilities and his potential to add value to clients' facilitiess services.
We're still focused on our traditional capabilities, including outsourcing, vendor negotiations and maagement, systems, operating systems, food quality and service improvements, feasibility studies, concept development and facility design.
What changes will come in 2010? Stay tuned.
Dining Insights, Fall 2009
The times they are a-changing
Bob Dylan wrote and sung that back in 1964 in a time of ferment and change. It would have been just as timely if he had introduced it in 2009.
At Clarion Group, we've been changing to keep up with - and get a step or two ahead of - the changes in the economy, in companies, on campuses and in life that have been going on around us, for the benefit of our clients.
Over the course of 2009, we have . . .
- Redesigned our website, clariongp.com, to provide more information about campus and corporate dining and our organization's capabilities.
- Launched this blog to provide a forum for everyone interested in on-site food services and opened new pages in Linkedin, Facebook and Plaxo.
- Developed a Six Sigma-based system for operational and financial evaluations of dining services to more effectively analyze systems, services and financials and create imaginative, effective solutions.
- Created the "Fresh & Natural" program to bring healthy and sustainable dining to campuses and companies.
Ernie Wilder, who managed all these services at the International Monetary Fund, has joine Clarion to add the expertise we need to effectively consult on these specialties - either as an integrated project covering all dining and facilities servicesor for the separate components.
We worked with Ernie at the IMF and know his capabilities and his potential to add value to clients' facilitiess services.
We're still focused on our traditional capabilities, including outsourcing, vendor negotiations and maagement, systems, operating systems, food quality and service improvements, feasibility studies, concept development and facility design.
What changes will come in 2010? Stay tuned.
- Tom Mac Dermott
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Viewpoint
The unseen financial side of the journey from farm to fork
Dining Insights, Summer 2009
The fate of CIT Group, the financial firm that supports some one million small and mid-sized businesses and isn't too big to fail, is still hanging in the balance as of this writing. But its misadventures brought to mind the little-known role similar companies, called "factors," play in getting food from the farm to your fork.
Farmers, both corporate and family, have nothing to sell, and no income, until harvest time. They get by on the profits from the last year's crop and loans, typically from banks, using their land and equipment as security. Food processors, the companies that make sausages and corn flakes, have year 'round income from a steady flow of products.
But what about the folks in the middle, the distributors who deliver the products to your kitchen? They sell to you or your food service contractor on credit. At the end of the month, they send a statement and get paid, hopefully within 30 days. But 30 days end-of-month is 60 days from the first delivery. They have to pay cash on delivery for the products they buy to resell to you and, in some cases, even before their supplier will ship to them.
How do they meet their payrolls, pay overhead costs and buy more products in the meantime? Enter the factor.
When your cafe manager signs for a delivery, the invoice is sold to a factor for immediate cash, usually about 80% of face value. When you pay the invoice, the factor pays the balance to the distributor, minus its fee. The later you pay the bill, the less the distributor receives.
The factor, in turn, borrows from banks and other sources to keep up its cash flow, so it can keep sending that 80% to your distributor. (That's where CIT ran into trouble. Its lenders stopped lending.)
Complications arise along the financial chain when more customers pay late, or don't pay at all. The cost is passed back up the chain, ending up in higher prices to you.
So, when you pay the cashier for lunch in the cafe today, you're not only paying for the food and the labor of the farmer, trucker, chef and other folks who brought you the meal, you're also paying for the complex web of financing that lubricates the whole system.
The unseen financial side of the journey from farm to fork
Dining Insights, Summer 2009
The fate of CIT Group, the financial firm that supports some one million small and mid-sized businesses and isn't too big to fail, is still hanging in the balance as of this writing. But its misadventures brought to mind the little-known role similar companies, called "factors," play in getting food from the farm to your fork.
Farmers, both corporate and family, have nothing to sell, and no income, until harvest time. They get by on the profits from the last year's crop and loans, typically from banks, using their land and equipment as security. Food processors, the companies that make sausages and corn flakes, have year 'round income from a steady flow of products.
But what about the folks in the middle, the distributors who deliver the products to your kitchen? They sell to you or your food service contractor on credit. At the end of the month, they send a statement and get paid, hopefully within 30 days. But 30 days end-of-month is 60 days from the first delivery. They have to pay cash on delivery for the products they buy to resell to you and, in some cases, even before their supplier will ship to them.
How do they meet their payrolls, pay overhead costs and buy more products in the meantime? Enter the factor.
When your cafe manager signs for a delivery, the invoice is sold to a factor for immediate cash, usually about 80% of face value. When you pay the invoice, the factor pays the balance to the distributor, minus its fee. The later you pay the bill, the less the distributor receives.
The factor, in turn, borrows from banks and other sources to keep up its cash flow, so it can keep sending that 80% to your distributor. (That's where CIT ran into trouble. Its lenders stopped lending.)
Complications arise along the financial chain when more customers pay late, or don't pay at all. The cost is passed back up the chain, ending up in higher prices to you.
So, when you pay the cashier for lunch in the cafe today, you're not only paying for the food and the labor of the farmer, trucker, chef and other folks who brought you the meal, you're also paying for the complex web of financing that lubricates the whole system.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Fresh & Natural: Clarion's New Plan for Healthy Dining
Dining Insights, Spring 2009
Twenty years ago, college students' favorite meals included fruit and cottage cheese plates, chicken nuggets and chicken chop suey. Today, it's locally-grown fruits and vegetables, crispy garlic-ginger chicken wings and Vietnamese Pho, according to research by national food service contractor Sodexo.
"The biggest change we've seen is in the demand for locally-grown produce and authentic international cuisine that's made to order," says Chef Rob Morasco, Sodexo's senior director of culinary support in the education market.
The idea that healthy dining, combined with their other wellness initiatives, can help employees become more productive has penetrated the corporate world as well.
In 2008, Clarion was asked by a large corporate client to develop a program that "offers menu variety and nutritional food choices that [are] fundamental components of any best-in-class wellness initiative."
The project was the genesis of our new Fresh & Natural approach to planning on-site dining operations. We began with the premise that healthy food promotes healthy people and that healthy people work or study more productively, enjoy life more fully and find their connection to their campus or employer more enjoyable. While a healthy eating program by itself won't guarantee a healthier population, science has shown that when a third or more of daily caloric intake is in unhealthy calories, there is a significant negative impact on the individual.
Fresh & Natural incorporates elements of the Mediterranean Diet, based primarily on vegetables, fruits, fish and meat. We adapt each specific menu to the tastes, customs and preferences of the group for whom we plan the program.
It includes:
Twenty years ago, college students' favorite meals included fruit and cottage cheese plates, chicken nuggets and chicken chop suey. Today, it's locally-grown fruits and vegetables, crispy garlic-ginger chicken wings and Vietnamese Pho, according to research by national food service contractor Sodexo.
"The biggest change we've seen is in the demand for locally-grown produce and authentic international cuisine that's made to order," says Chef Rob Morasco, Sodexo's senior director of culinary support in the education market.
The idea that healthy dining, combined with their other wellness initiatives, can help employees become more productive has penetrated the corporate world as well.
In 2008, Clarion was asked by a large corporate client to develop a program that "offers menu variety and nutritional food choices that [are] fundamental components of any best-in-class wellness initiative."
The project was the genesis of our new Fresh & Natural approach to planning on-site dining operations. We began with the premise that healthy food promotes healthy people and that healthy people work or study more productively, enjoy life more fully and find their connection to their campus or employer more enjoyable. While a healthy eating program by itself won't guarantee a healthier population, science has shown that when a third or more of daily caloric intake is in unhealthy calories, there is a significant negative impact on the individual.
Fresh & Natural incorporates elements of the Mediterranean Diet, based primarily on vegetables, fruits, fish and meat. We adapt each specific menu to the tastes, customs and preferences of the group for whom we plan the program.
It includes:
- Developing and implementing imaginative, nutritious meals, prepared from "scratch" using fresh ingredients, locally sourced as possible.
- Eliminating or minimizing junk food.
- Using organic and hormone-free foods to the extent practical.
- Providing nutrition information and education.
- Reinforcing your initiatives to encourage wellness and a healthy lifestyle.
$1.65 for a Dollar
Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield in western Pennsylvania studied worksite healthy foods and wellness initiatives at companies with a total of 12,000 employees. They said they found a savings of $1.65 for every $1.00 spent on the programs, FoodService Director, an industry magazine reports.
Dining Ini
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Sustainability and Food Service
Sustainability in all its many iterations has been embraced enthusiastically by nearly all, if not all, university, college and school communities. It's been less obviously adopted in the corporate world, if only because companies don't have students eager to promote the concept and practice.
In addition to its ecological benefits, sustainability has the potential to reduce costs for those who adopt its procedures. Energy-conserving equipment, utility-usage reduction, more efficient work practices and waste control are all good business, no matter what business you're in.
We're exploring the expanding and evolving world of sustainability and introduced our new "Fresh & Natural" approach to green, healthy dining in the Spring issue of Dining Insights. There also are articles about attracting and retaining customers and other topics involving the world of employee and student dining.
If you don't receive Dining Insights, you can join the 3,000-plus managers, administrators and executives who learn about the workings of on-site food service, outsourcing or "insourcing" their food services, dealing with food service contractors and more.
Just e-mail your name, title and mailing address to info@clariongp.com. We'll be glad to hear from you.
Tom Mac Dermott, FCSI
Clarion Group
www.clariongp.com
In addition to its ecological benefits, sustainability has the potential to reduce costs for those who adopt its procedures. Energy-conserving equipment, utility-usage reduction, more efficient work practices and waste control are all good business, no matter what business you're in.
We're exploring the expanding and evolving world of sustainability and introduced our new "Fresh & Natural" approach to green, healthy dining in the Spring issue of Dining Insights. There also are articles about attracting and retaining customers and other topics involving the world of employee and student dining.
If you don't receive Dining Insights, you can join the 3,000-plus managers, administrators and executives who learn about the workings of on-site food service, outsourcing or "insourcing" their food services, dealing with food service contractors and more.
Just e-mail your name, title and mailing address to info@clariongp.com. We'll be glad to hear from you.
Tom Mac Dermott, FCSI
Clarion Group
www.clariongp.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
