To Our Students:
I would like to take the opportunity to share with you the challenges Dining Services are facing this semester as the effects of Covid continue to play out in many different ways. Before I get started, I want to send out a heartfelt thank you to all of the students for being incredibly supportive and generous to the Dining Services staff. Your kindness means the world to us.
Since the pandemic started Dining has had to become very agile at a moment’s notice, much like the rest of campus and in our own personal lives. The reason we keep adjusting and readjusting is because we genuinely care about your experiences and your wellbeing.
The two major issues that are effecting Dining Services are labor shortages and disruptions to the supply chain. I wanted to share with you how these issues effect you and how Dining Services is responding. These challenges are not unique to our campus community, as universities and colleges across the country are dealing with these same issues. They are responding by shortening hours, closing dining locations, limiting menu variety and using paper products during service.
What do staffing shortages mean for students on our campus? We have to use disposable plates, cups and utensils in Dana because we do not have enough dish washers. The wait times for food at Northstar and Dana can be longer. We have to limit variety if we do not have enough staffing to prepare the full menu. We have not been able to open all of our satellite locations.
How is dining responding? We partnered with Price Chopper in Canton to make the fresh salads in Northstar when needed. This decision freed up two staff members and allowed us to open Time Out Café. We now buy pre-sliced deli cheeses instead of slicing them ourselves. This frees up a few hours each day for a staff member to focus on making your orders faster. We opened the Dana Express line while you were still dining out to provide a quick option in Dana at the lunch hour. Now that everyone is able to dine in and the wait times are decreasing in Dana, we are planning to open the Johnson Grab & Go in October.
The other major issue we face is with our supply chain. We work with our vendors to identify the best products to serve our campus community. Since Covid began we regularly experience shortages in the products, we planned to use for our dining program. There are also severe labor shortages in the trucking industry which results in our deliveries being delayed and sometimes canceled altogether.
What does supply chain disruptions mean for students? Our menus may need to change suddenly if product we ordered was not delivered. The products we tested in our recipes may become unavailable, which results in a different end result. There are regular changes in the disposable cups, lids and portion cups you use in the dining locations.
How is dining responding? We work closely with our supply reps to anticipate where there may be shortages so we can share the menu changes in advance. Dining also lines up approved substitutions for products so we have more of a choice in what we are able to source if our number one choice becomes unavailable. We increase our inventory of items, when possible, to avoid disruptions to our planned menus. If a delivery is canceled we work with our other vendors to get an off-day delivery to make sure we secure the food needed.
This pandemic has challenged us to provide security when we are experiencing insecure times. Our team wants the students to know that we are always discussing, brainstorming and planning in order to bring you a dining program you are proud of and enjoy. I can say with certainty that our dining team cares about your experiences and that we truly listen to your feedback. This semester we have had to focus on how to operate with the labor shortages and food supply problems and are making adjustments daily as needed. But our focus remains on the students. I encourage everyone to use the Napkin Notes, talk with our dining location managers and reach out directly to me with concerns, suggestions and questions. As always, we look forward to serving you.