A proposal to improve the quality of the food at Jester.
by Angelica Martinez-Aguirre
RHE 306
Fall 2003
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Introduction
As a short explanation, my proposal suggests improving the quality of the food's buffet at Jester because sometimes people complain about it. By quality I mean the variety, taste, healthiness and freshness of the food. In spite of the variety that they have, it seems that students are not satisfied with the flavor of the different entrees that the second floor offers. For this reason, I surveyed several students who usually eat there. Some of the same students told me that the food is acceptable, but it could be better than it actually is. Moreover, for the students who not only eat there but also live there, the food becomes even more important, since Jester is the closest place to eat. In addition, students who live on campus assert that it is cheap and very convenient to eat there. As a result of the conversation with some students and my own taste buds, you Scott Myer, director of the food on the second floor should try to acquire another kind of procedure for cooking.
I
interviewed Scott Myer, the director of the housing and food department who
has been under that job title for the past two and a half years. The following
is the list of questions that I asked you:
How long has Jester had this service here in the second floor?
How long does the second floor have served as buffet?
How is the food prepared?
Do you usually service lunch and dinner or do you also work in the mornings?
Do you have a large demand of people who come to eat here?
How long has Jester had this service here in the second floor?
The following is a summary of the answers from the interview. The second floor
at Jester has been open since 1969, and the buffet has usually been served
since then. People in charge for choosing the meals in Jester's second floor
are a registered dietitian, a chef and four or five chefs. Another factor
was that the second floor at Jester has been a place where a huge quantity
of students goes to have lunch and or dinner. Anybody who attends the university
is allowed to eat there. I also learned from the interview that there is a
menu on-line where people can see the calories that the meal of the day contains.
All students who live on campus have Dine Inn Dollars in their accounts and
they get a pretty good deal for the buffet. For lunch they only pay $2.76
and for dinner it's only $3.19 for the buffet. Although any person can go
there to eat, they would have to pay with cash, if they did not have Dine
Inn Dollars. The price for lunch, in cash, would be $6.25 and for dinner it
would be $7.00. Overall, this interview helped me to realize that people who
are in charge of the second floor at Jester seem to be trying to do their
best, especially in terms of student buying power and the quantity of students
that eat there. Although you mentioned "quality" of the food referring
to calories and the on-line food menu selection you did not seem to feel that
"quality" about variety, taste, healthiness and freshness needed
to be changed. Moreover, you stated that we are receiving what we are paying
for, since we are paying with Dine-Inn dollars. In reality, this is not true
because we are actually paying what anybody else would pay in cash. This is
because for residents it is already included in room and board.
To supplement this interview, I also designed a questionnaire that asks students
their opinions on various aspects about the second floor at Jester. Although
only ten were surveyed, the answers show unanimous agreement that the food
is good and cheap, but all are wiling to pay more if the quality and the taste
of the food were improved. The next is a copy of the questionnaire that I
asked for some students:
How often do you eat in the second floor at Jester?
a) Always b) Usually c) Sometimes d) Seldom
You think the food's quality is…
a) Excellent b) good c) not very good d) bad
What do you think about the quality of the food? (Taking into account its
quality)
a) Excellent b) good c) not very good d) bad
If the quality of the food gets better, would you mind paying more money for
the buffet?
a) Absolutely not b) Maybe c) Absolutely yes
When I asked more students what they thought about Jester's second floor,
they all agreed that the food was not what they expected in quality and variety,
and that sometimes it was bland. "The food sometimes has no flavor and
it just looks like a mixture of foods."(A freshman, Beatriz Rios said.)
Another problem that they also complain about is that most of the entrees
were fried and they are not healthy.
After the interview and the survey that I did, I can say that you Scott are
not really aware of what we, as students need to feel satisfy with the food
that you provide us. Even if you want or you think that everything is ok,
most of the students, even me, do not agree with you.
The quality of the food on the second floor at Jester is not the best, the
evidence of my claim are students, who are usually complaining about it. They
want a healthier, fresher, and better food taste. In addition, they say that
in the menu they usually offer fried instead of baked food. Moreover, students
think that they cannot do anything to fix this problem and that they do not
have any solution. In addition you are not cognizant about the current opinion
from the students about this issue.
Actually, I study at UT, and in spite of I do not live on campus I spend the majority of my time there. Once, some friends do and they invited me to have dinner on the second floor at Jester with them. During my first experience, one of them told me, "To be honest, they do not have the best food." I was wondering why they had told me that and I asked them, "If you don't like it, why do you eat there?" They answered that it was more convenient than the first floor and it was not bad all the time. Later on, the same day I had the chance to taste the food for the first time and I personally agreed with them, and to be frank, the food lacks taste. When I was there I saw a really big variety of food and everything looked appetizing, but after several visits, I didn't see anything new; some of the dishes are: pizza, pasta, hamburgers, baked potatoes, fruit and salad. The only dishes that change are the main entrees; for example, they always have chicken and beef, but they are just cooked in different ways with other ingredients. Besides, most of the time the chicken and the beef are fried this last fact, also made me and some of my friends, think about the unhealthiness food that we were eating.
Although many students keep eating on the second floor at Jester, they are not pleased with the way that the food is being prepared. They would like to see a change in the taste and a better quality of the food. So, my proposal consists on improving the quality of the food by taking into account the opinion of the students, and passing this along to you. This would be possible by having a suggestion box where students can complain or give ideas about the food that they would like to eat there, expressing if they are happy with that food or if they would like having other kinds of meals. This could be directed to all the people who eat on the second floor, but also focus on the students who live there. I know that this could cause an increase on the price of the buffet, but according to my survey, the students answered that they were willing to pay a little extra for a better quality and taste.
You are probably thinking about the costs that this will bring, but in the long run this will benefit you. Moreover, if you see the price of a suggestion box is very low and a good investment. In addition, the people who regularly attend the second floor would be happier, and more students will want to go there. Also by doing this, you can raise the buffet price because students are willing to pay more if the quality, taste, and healthiness of the food improve. Furthermore, by asking to the students their opinion, you will let them feel welcome to eat there. The box can cost you from cero to $40dollars because you can start with a cardboard box to initiate the process. After that, you can see how it works from there, and if you see a good result you can purchase a wooden one, which would cost around 40 dollars. The best place for this box would be the entrance, with some sheets of papers and a pen. In addition if you improve the quality of the food you are guaranteed an increase in your profits, and you will also enjoy a better reputation about the second floor at Jester. And more people will eat there, instead of going to another place to eat on campus, they will prefer going to the second floor.
Improving the quality and taste of the food and cooking healthier food is a good deal for all of us, especially for you, as the owner of the second floor at Jester, and for me a student who enjoys good food and a nice experience eating a good meal. You will have a very good prestige and more customers, and students are going to be happier to eat there.
Myer, Scott. Personal Interview 20 November 2003