Best Management Company Concept: Sodexo

FöD gives college dining programs stuck with small residential dining footprints an efficient alternative that offers guests convenient, made-to-order, restaurant-style food. Instead of queuing up in cramped multi-station serveries—sometimes multiple times to get everything they want—students use touch screen kiosks or their mobile phones/touchpads to order their food customized as to how and when they want it. The interface shows photos of the available menu items along with nutritional information.

FöD has a database of 400 recipes, which allows sites to adapt and offer variety as well as take advantage of local fresh items when available.

The program cuts space usage needs in half since production is centralized and streamlined in an open kitchen area rather than scattered across a multi-station servery.

It also shrinks energy usage and drastically cuts food waste due to the to-order style and the use of advanced cooking technology that allows dishes to be prepared quickly and efficiently.

Accounts using the program report food cost reductions ranging from 5% to 15% and food waste/overproduction reductions of at least 35%. Meanwhile, customer satisfaction is up by up to 30% and meal plan participation/year-over-year retention is up by 18%.

The cost of implementation can be as little as $175,000 at the smallest locations, though it can be much more at larger operations and depends on existing infrastructure and the level of implementation requested.

Currently, FöD operates in six Sodexo college accounts.

PROJECT TEAM MEMBERS:

Jeff Pente
Senior director of brand management
Jeff McClure
Director of culinary services
Bill Lacey
Senior VP, operations support
Tom Post
President, Sodexo Campus Services