How does a University kitchen run?

Imagine the biggest and busiest kitchen you’ve ever worked in. And then imagine delivering food to a variety of different needs; from catered halls with regular meal times; to providing food for retail catering outlets; to delivered catering for events taking part of campus. One day you may be cooking for the students in catered halls and the next you could be preparing a banquet for visiting professionals.

It is likely therefore that you would be working a shift system similar to that found in any busy hospitality setting. Unlike schools, Universities need to feed their students at weekends so it is likely you will be asked to work these days.

What type of food do you cook in a University kitchen?

Keeping students well-nourished and healthy is the overarching mission of college and university food service operations. But, keeping hungry students on campus is a key challenge which operators face. A recent study found that “69% of students eat off-campus at least once a week” and only “33% of students are satisfied with their school’s food service facilities.” When dining options across campus are not on par with what students want, they’ll quickly become disengaged and leave campus to find what they’re craving.

College students manage full course loads, participate in clubs, play on sports teams, and get involved in the community. In some cases, they also maintain part-time or full-time jobs. With so many responsibilities on their plate, they don’t always have time to enjoy a sit-down meal at the cafeteria. To keep busy students well-nourished, it’s important operators understand the importance of offering flexible meal plans and convenient grab-and-go options, like:

• Pre-packaged salads, wraps, and sandwiches

• Fresh fruit and nuts

• Smoothies chock-full of energy-boosting ingredients

• Cheese and crackers

• Yogurts and yogurt parfaits

• Hummus and pita packs

Stagnant menus that never change or just keep rotating on the same schedule leads to every foodservice operator’s nightmare: MENU FATIGUE.

Symptoms include culinary-boredom and disinterest in any consumable item your business has to offer. This causes students to leave campus – typically with their friends – to find something new and exciting to eat. The good news is that operators can combat the causes of menu fatigue before they even occur.

• Promote Limited-Time Offers: LTOs are a low-cost, high-profit avenue to drive excitement, fuel consumer urgency, and increase sales. 

•  Update Menus Regularly: Updating menus on a regular basis keeps students interested in what you have to offer. If it’s the same menu day after day, year after year, they’ll leave campus to satisfy their hunger.

• Add Seasonal Menu Items: Incorporating in-season ingredients, flavors, and dishes is a popular way to keep students interested year-round. For example, create warm, sweet potato bisque in the cooler fall and winter months. Come spring and summer, offer chilled fruit soup.

• Stay on Top of Food Trends: Do you know what’s trending across the industry? Understanding dishes consumers want and updating menus to reflect current trends boosts sales and encourages loyalty among student diners, whilst keeping to your budget.

• Offer Special Menu Items Around Holidays: Holiday-related menu items provide a big opportunity for driving engagement, promoting LTOs, and increasing sales. Since these offerings are only available for a short time, students are more motivated to buy now, before they’re gone.