Week 6

I started off Week 6 at the Health Sciences Center. It felt like I hadn't been there in quite some time! Rayanna coordinated for me to meet with both Bill and Gary, the managers at two of the three operations on that campus. I also got to speak with her and learn more about her role and the operations she oversees.

On Monday I was in the Union at Beaker's with Bill. I got to see and learn about several tasks and responsibilities that he manages throughout the day, including positive discipline, helping on the line when needed, entering recipes into US Foods to find recipe costs, updating prices, and counting top inventory products. I gained wisdom from Bill as he shared the importance of being consistent, being aware of your own actions and how they are perceived, communication in forming a team, keeping morale up, being kind, and showing you care as a manager. Gary, at the Healthy Hearth, reiterated many of these same themes when I visited there on Tuesday and Wednesday. We talked a lot about managing your team and how to do it well - being a leader rather than a boss. Communication styles was a big one. Each of your employees has a different personality and responds to feedback in a different way. You have to get to know your employees and how they work best. It is also important to give off positive energy as a leader. If you are lazy or have a poor attitude, your employees are going to reflect that as well. If you come in with a positive attitude and show good work ethic yourself, your employees will too. It all starts with the manager. Gary also taught me different tactics he uses to create a team environment, such as "slide deployment." This is when one team member slides over to help another station in need. Looking for "bottlenecks" is another. Gary surveys the operation to see where back-ups are occurring during service - whether at the front or the back of the house. He then rearranges his team to eliminate the bottleneck. It was cool to see how he uses cross-training...employees are trained and ready to switch or help out another station at any point. Doing these things not only helps the team work together better but also benefits the customers. Therefore, management is not only about leading the team and doing what is best for them but also about doing what is best for customers. We also talked about controlling food costs, labor, and food safety. There is so much that goes into being a good manager, and I could go on and on about the knowledge I gained there! Even gained some techy knowledge in the process.

The pictures below will give you an idea of the experience you will have if you visit the Healthy Hearth.

(the cozy dining room of the Healthy Hearth that makes customers feel at home)

(the Nourish Bowl salad that I forgot to take a picture of before I started eating it - the original presentation was great:))

(the self-playing piano that serenades customers as they enjoy their meal)

Thursday I went with Frank to Cate to look at some new US Food products. Always love a good taste test! :) The Environmental Concerns Committee visited, and Frank showed them several spots of interest in Food Services. We started off at the Freight Farm behind Cate and showed them the beautiful lettuce that grows inside. It's a fascinating structure! (See picture below) We then went to Couch to talk about some of the eco-friendly practices used there as well as show them the digestor (liquid food composter). We finished up by showing them the community kitchen in Walker. The committee appreciated seeing what we do in Food Services, and I enjoyed experiencing yet more impressive things that OU Housing and Food Services has to offer! That afternoon I continued working on my in-service presentation for next week and nailed down most of my information.

Friday was an office day that I used to solidified my material for my in-service presentation. I also continued working on my performance improvement project and made good headway! Every Friday Dot sends out an email to students with self-identified food allergies. It includes what foods will be on the menu and what allergens are present in those foods. This helps students a lot when they are planning what they can eat for the week. Dot really stresses the importance of planning. If you want to run a successful operation, it is absolutely necessary to plan ahead! This helps you forecast what is coming, make the appropriate preparations, and anticipate any problems that may occur and how those will be addressed. Dot also works a lot with sustainability. I have really enjoyed learning about the sustainability efforts that are being made on this campus and the value placed on local food. So many neat things happening here!