Sodexo has taken steps to respond to student concerns during winter break, making changes to dining and creating a document that lists ideas for the future of dining at Emory.

Sodexo Resident District Manager Joe Mitchell said students are currently experiencing culinary changes due to the hiring of a new executive chef in October, who was in the training process when the Student Government Association (SGA) released a list of concerns in December.

Recommendations included a more direct route of communication to Sodexo management, more frequent food checks and tasting, less food waste, quality assurance of to-go items, convenient and more accessible comment cards, personal feedback to Sodexo employees and electronic feedback.

While Mitchell said Hazardous Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) food checks and quality control were already monitored before the SGA document was released, Sodexo is now checking food every 30 minutes instead of every two hours. HAACP is a management system in which food safety is checked by logging information such as food temperature, taste and texture. Food on the “hot line” is now checked each time a new pan of food is brought out.

Mitchell said that comment cards are now in more visible locations and that new comment books provide a way for customers to write comments while in line for food.

“We’re getting lots of great feedback from each station that the chefs can share with the line servers or the line cooks the very day the comment is written,” he said. “It’s real-time feedback and we can make real-time corrections.”

Other changes implemented last month included more frequent checks on food products that are not cooked or prepared to order, comment books and customer service representatives to speak to guests.

Changes scheduled for February are the documentation of discarded food, implementation of a “satisfaction hotline” and “Trayless Tuesdays,” which will be used as a voluntary day to minimize waste.

Mitchell said that Oxford College has been using trayless dining since February 2009 and that the Dobbs University Center (DUC) will mimic this strategy.

“Trayless dining eliminates the ability to put multiple plates on your tray which reduces the amount of waste that ends up in the composting or the landfill,” he said.

Though the design of the DUC does not lend itself to trayless dining because the seating is too far from the service area, Mitchell said that trayless dining will be encouraged and that those who choose to go “trayless” can enter into a drawing for free meals on campus.

The establishment of a “dining plan value” is planned for fall 2010, which will include comparison to other forms of dining and an outline of the value on the dining website.

“Many times, meal plan participants will compare the price of the plan against a grocery store price list, which doesn’t take into account the water used, the power for the equipment and the employees that prepare the food,” Mitchell said.

Mitchell said that the value of the plan includes the fact that plan participants do not have to wash their own dishes, do their own shopping and cook their own food.

“The purpose of the project is to help explain where that money in the dining plan goes and what the value is to the consumer,” he said.

SGA President Alex Kappus said he is impressed with Sodexo’s responsiveness.

“The measures that [Sodexo has] taken are certainly major steps forward in improving dining services and I think the students in terms of satisfaction are significantly happier,” Kappus said.

Kappus said he hopes Sodexo will reach out to graduate students and continue to work to provide students with what they need.

Residence Hall Association (RHA) President Efraim “EJ” Keisari said he is also impressed with Sodexo’s responsiveness and willingness to turn suggestions into action.

One day after a Nov. 11 focus meeting, Mitchell promised to implement suggestions for the Student Activity and Academic Center (SAAC), such as two additional beverage refrigerators, ice cream and freezer, availability of convenience products, fresh fruit and vegetable cups, clarified menu signs, revision of the pizza recipe and healthy dinner salads.

Keisari said that RHA has partnered with Sodexo to conduct intercept surveys in the Woodruff and Clairmont dining locations each month.

During these surveys, Mitchell and Director of Marketing Cynthia Gomes will directly survey dining students to gauge opinion.

“There will be constant communication between RHA and the Sodexo operations team to ensure that the residents of these halls and the people who dine at these facilities are getting what they want,” Keisari said.

“We hope Sodexo continues to be responsive to student concerns to ensure a positive dining experience,” he added.

­— Contact Kate Borger.