The Pitiful Campus Dining Experience

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The Pitiful Campus Dining Experience

When I was a waiter at a local pizza parlor, the area manager would come in once every two weeks and give the restaurant an inspection. He would watch us through the course of an evening, and when the crowds subsided, he would gather us all around and give us our review. At the onset of every debriefing, as they were called among the crew, the first words from his mouth would always be, "From the moment the customer enters those doors, his dining experience begins. He will form an opinion in his mind about us, and it is your job to make sure that opinion is good! If it isn't, I'll know about it, and then so will you."

Even though my experiences at that restaurant are a year behind me, whenever I eat out I always keep in mind the customer's opinion -- especially when I am the customer. When State students eat at the campus facilities, they form opinions about their dining experience just as any customer would, and whether that opinion is good or bad is the responsibility of the food service. Recently I conducted a survey to determine the student opinion of the food service at State. My purpose was simply to see if the students were satisfied with the overall performance of Service America, the catering company that handles all of the campus dining facilities.

I surveyed fifty students over a period of two days at different times and locations. All of those I surveyed ate at least occasionally at one of the dining facilities. The survey rated such aspects as variety, quality, and taste of the food offered as well as the student's opinion of the prices they paid and overall service they received. The ratings given were initially somewhat mediocre.

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...ts known will have them resolved in one manner or another, and by solving the students' problems as best they are able, Service America will ensure good public opinion and keep its contract. This arrangement is beneficial for both parties involved, and since my results concluded that there is no widespread discontent with the food service, there is no real justification for procedures any more radical than those I have suggested.

Perhaps a monopoly does exist at State in the form of Service America, but it is a monopoly that is ultimately controlled by its patrons, who have the freedom and the power to act on their opinions. The choice for action lies in their hands.

Sources Cited

Goodman, Stephanie. "Dinner Is Served--At the Mall." Adweek's Marketing Week 24 Ju1y 2013:30-34.

Loprete, Michael. Personal interview. 26 Feb. 2014.

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