Along with 30 peers, I attended a symposium for foodservice directors in Albuquerque this past week. The annual program, organized by the National Association of College and University Food Services (NACUFS), seeks to provide food service directors in self-operated schools a forum for sharing insights on current issues affecting the industry.

Although I had never been to New Mexico (the Land of Enchantment, says the state motto), I had heard about its natural beauty and its Mexican-, Spanish-, and Native American-influenced cuisine. Upon arrival, I enjoyed a green chile cheeseburger from a quick-service restaurant across the street from the hotel. What a treat: it was flavorful and delicious, and the chiles didn’t overpower the burger at all. Later at the symposium, I learned that some of the best chiles in the world grow in the fertile fields along the Rio Grande and Hatch River.

The symposium was an intense, two-and-a-half-day whirlwind. After a food historian talked to us about the state’s famous chiles, we jumped into a series of roundtable discussions, a workshop, and a dozen peer-to-peer discussions. The symposium culminated with a presentation on the business management strategy Six Sigma.

Facilitated by two of NACUFS’s exemplary leaders, Tim Dieter of Villanova and Julaine Kiehn of the University of Missouri, the peer-to-peer discussions were the highlights. During the discussions, we talked about topics affecting our industry candidly, and we listened and learned from one other. Even though every school is different, it was fascinating to hear what works and what doesn’t for others.
Here are 6 topics that especially caught my attention:

1. As the number of students from Asian countries continues to increase, the demand of Asian foods is also rising. For instance, the University of Illinois is seeing interest in Korean food and the cuisines of Southeast Asia grow among students. UCLA just opened its first Pan Asian-themed residential dining facility. And back home at UMass, sushi and stir-fry are now more popular than chicken fingers.

2. Foodservice directors continue to purchase more ingredients locally, including beef, pork, chicken, and eggs. Some are starting to grow their own produce. UC Santa Barbara, Ferrum College, and Wooster College all offered examples. Our own UMass’s permaculture garden also has a great story to tell.

3. To control costs and reduce food waste, more schools are eliminating trays in the cafeterias. UC Riverside even posts the food waste per person per meal every week in each dining commons. When UMass went trayless two years ago, we saw food waste drop by 30%.

4. Since most of the dining operations of NACUFS members need to be financially self-sufficient, every school has to find creative ways to increase revenues to sustain and enhance their programs. This means providing more value to our customers through catering, meal plan reconfiguration and program enhancement, as well as offering premium menus. What works varies widely at each university. The University of Connecticut only offers an unlimited dining meal plan in which students can eat as often as they choose. In contrast, at UMass we offer both unlimited plans and other options including the commuter plan, free Friday dinners at the DCs, and dining at the University Club in the evenings.

5. Convenience stores and food trucks are increasing in popularity. To meet the demand of students looking for more quick grab-and-go options, schools with large commuter populations are adding C-stores and/or purchasing food trucks. For example, Michigan State University combined its residential and retail operations under one department. That’s how we run our retail and residential operations, too. In addition, our BabyBerk Food Truck provides convenience and excitement for customers—not to mention great food at a great price.

6. And finally, there was a lot of talk about marketing and telling your story. Ohio State University recommends developing marketing strategies and measuring their results to determine effectiveness. In other words, good marketing must be able to increase revenues and customer satisfaction. Back at UMass, guest chef series and weekly specials generate greater attendance at meal time while providing excitement.

I was glad to be part of the NACUFS-led discussions—there is so much we can learn from one another. In the end, it’s all about putting students first and taking good care of them.

This is Ken Toong. Thank you for keeping UMass Dining at the top.

Contact Ken at ktoong@mail.aux.umass.edu

You can follow Ken Toong on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/KenToong

This time of the year always brings a lot of predictions about trends for the new year. In my industry, it’s food trends. Just today, for instance, I received two of them in my in-box. Some of them focus on the restaurant business, others on the progress of American gastronomy. But very few—if any—talk about college dining. Since UMass dining is the nation’s second largest campus dining operation, we have some thoughts on upcoming trends. Based on our student surveys and our research, here is what we see as the top 10 dining trends on campus for 2012:

1. Stealth health is part of the daily offering.
Rates of obesity and diabetes are increasing at an alarming rate in America. More than ever, our students are demanding that food not only taste good but be good for them. During our recent survey last fall, more than 73% of our students wanted more healthy choices. Most schools already offer healthy choices, including “stealth health” programs in which food is made healthier behind the scenes. Stealth health opportunities include reducing sodium, serving more vegetables and whole grains and promoting healthy eating. Operators of College Dining programs can take leading roles in implementing healthy programs.

2. Food trucks are the next mega trend.
Curbside mobile cuisine served from our own food truck, Baby Berk, has generated so much excitement on campus that we are looking into purchasing another one soon. The secret of success is serving simple great food and providing exemplary customer service.

3. Noodles, noodles and more noodles.
From udon to pho, our customers cannot get enough of them. Noodles warm your tummy and remind me of the comfort food in Hong Kong, where I was born. We plan to have our chefs hand-pull noodles right before our guests’ eyes while they dine. In addition, rice noodles have the benefit of being gluten-free.

4. Grow your own food on campus.
You can’t get fresher food than when you grow your own on campus. Not only does it help reduce the carbon footprint but it also builds awareness around where food comes from. Permaculture gardening—cultivating gardens that are designed to ecologically sustain themselves—will become more widespread. It is part of an ecological design for creating sustainable communities and involves people working together to care for the planet.

5. Sustainable seafood is a must.
Serving sustainable fish and shellfish is good for business and good for the environment. What are you waiting for if you are not serving sustainable seafood already?

6. Melamine is out, china is in.
Melamine dishes have been popular in campus dining because they are lightweight, practical and unbreakable. But with growing concern about whether the presence of melamine in dinnerware could pose a safety risk, schools such as UMass are switching back to china dinnerware. It is the right thing to do.

7. Simple food, healthy eating.
Our customers want comfort food that is simply and freshly prepared and food that is less processed. This requires creating healthier dishes with a plenty of flavor and finding ways to incorporate locally produced, seasonal foods.

8. Late-night dining is second nature.
Students have a different lifestyle than most of us. We notice that students use late-night meals as a way to treat themselves, to meet their friends and to build community. At UMass, 30% of students dine from 9:30 p.m. to wee hours of the morning.

9. Coffee has to be good.
Students want high-quality coffee that is freshly ground and freshly brewed and made in front of them. If the coffee is organic and shade-grown, even better.

10. Campus Dining has become a place to shop, to eat and to be entertained.
Eataly in New York City is the largest artisanal Italian food marketplace in the United States. It includes a retail center for Italian delicacies, a culinary educational center, and a diverse selection of boutique eateries. After witnessing the success of Eataly, I think we are ready for a food superstore on campus.

This is Ken Toong. Thank you for keeping UMass Dining at the top.

Contact Ken at ktoong@mail.aux.umass.edu

You can follow Ken Toong on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/KenToong

To upgrade our dining facilities, UMass Dining is planning a $55 million renovation. If all goes as planned, it will take five years from start to finish, an ambitious goal. But because we saw great results from our Berkshire DC renovation nearly five years ago, we know that physical improvements enhance our services and consumer satisfaction tremendously. The Hampshire DC will be our first target: the dining commons will undergo a major facility improvement. Soon after, we will start building a new café at the Commonwealth Honor College. In addition, we plan on renovating the Campus Center concourse— including the Bluewall Café, and the Library Café. Worcester DC, our largest dining commons, will also receive a major makeover.

Our student lifestyle has changed—students want to be able to eat anywhere, anytime, and anyplace on campus. We noticed students enjoy grab-n-go concepts during the day, while at night they prefer to go back to their familiar dining locations to share food and stories at a table with friends.

Sure, $55 million is not a drop in the bucket. However, we feel this campus upgrade is needed. Most of our facilities were built nearly 50 years ago. But as our dining concepts become more sophisticated and the number of students on a meal plan grows, we need new facilities that can better handle changes, and in a more energy efficient, greener way.

We also want to be more entertaining, which brings me to my next subject: Eataly. Brought to New York City through a partnership of culinary stars, including Mario Batali, Joe Bastianich, Lidia Bastianich, and Oscar Farinetti, it is the largest artisanal Italian food marketplace in the United States. It includes a retail center for Italian delicacies, a culinary educational center, and a diverse selection of boutique eateries. I consider it a food superstor, but it’s not like a department store. A visit feels more like a walk through the entire culinary landscape of Italy, from its meats and cheeses, to its endless pastas and its desserts. It is a comprehensive homage to all things Italian food from Sicilia to Veneto—and then some. The breadth and depth of the offerings here lift it nearly to museum status.

My wife and I visited the venue about a month ago. We didn’t spend as much time eating as we did simply browsing and exploring. The dining area, a mishmash of concepts, had customers seated together or near each other. Eataly is a space where different people can have different dining experiences while seated almost side by side in the same space. It felt like an old-world market, modernized.

Eataly is not the perfect food superstore. There isn’t any Asian, Mexican, or New England fare. Some of the prices are on the expensive side. I’d like to see a similar concept that includes sushi, stir-fry, tapas and tacos. Still, Eataly is impressive. Some of my managers, our chef, an architect, and a food consultant will be heading to Eataly this week to gather ideas that might impact our renovations. You never know—we might come away with major inspiration for a new eatery at UMass.

This is Ken Toong. Thank you for keeping UMass Dining at the top.

Contact Ken at ktoong@mail.aux.umass.edu

You can follow Ken Toong on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/KenToong

I hope all of you enjoyed a nice Thanksgiving holiday, and that you had the opportunity to spend time with loved ones. We had a nice family dinner at home. My daughters made side dishes and my wife baked a pie. I prepared the turkey and then watched football while it cooked. It was a pleasant day, the calm before the storm: Black Friday.

Were you one of the enthusiastic shoppers crowding the retail centers across the country? I admit that I was. This year, we started earlier than ever. My daughters and I left home at 1:00 a.m. when the local Target and Best Buy opened their doors. I knew it would be crowded, but wow: when we arrived at the shopping center, it looked like several thousand people were braving the cold weather to shop.

If the lines on Black Friday were any indication, the holiday shopping season is off to a good start. This year, Black Friday sales were up about 7 percent (about $1 billion) compared with last year.

We waited patiently and the lines moved swiftly. We chatted with a friendly couple behind us to pass the time. I was looking for a flat-screen TV and one of my daughters was looking for a Kindle. After entering the store, we noticed that everyone was looking for a flat-screen TV like the one I wanted. Nearly every third customer had one in a shopping cart. I was a little disappointed to find that the TV was long gone by the time I got to the aisle. Fortunately my daughter found what she was looking for and we left shortly after. Looking back, it was quite an experience to see so many people showing up in the wee hours for a good deal.
At UMass Dining, we always try to put the emphasis on having a positive dining experience while keeping value in mind. That’s why we offer so many special each week. Our 4th Annual Ultimate Cranberry Sampling will be held this Wednesday, November 30, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. at all of the DCs. You can sample everything from cranberry-sausage tortillas and spicy cranberry-chicken drummettes to drenched cranberry cake. Jeff LaFleur, the executive director of the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers’ Association (who is also a cranberry farmer and UMass alumnus), will give a “Cranberries 101” presentation from 7 to 7:45 pm in the Berkshire Room.

Come and enjoy this delicious native fruit, and listen to Jeff’s presentation.

This is Ken Toong. Thank you for keeping UMass Dining at the top.

Contact Ken at ktoong@mail.aux.umass.edu

You can follow Ken Toong on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/KenToong

If there’s one thing to be said about Austin diners, it’s that they love their food trucks. The city estimates that by the end of the year there will be 1,620 mobile food vendors in operation. Some of the best and freshest food in Austin is served right off of these carts. Last week, I gave a presentation at a conference in San Antonio. After the conference, I took a trip to Austin to hunt for El Naranjo Mobile, an acclaimed food truck owned by Chef Iliana de la Vega and her husband, Ernesto Torrealba, that serves some of the best Mexican food in Austin. Chef Iliana is no stranger to UMass. She has been a guest chef several times on campus, and she is a chef-instructor at The Culinary Institute of America, San Antonio.

With our own food truck—Baby Berk—roaming campus grounds since September, I figured that it would be a good idea to see how other food trucks operate. We can always learn something new. From San Antonio, it was about an hour and 15-minute drive to Austin. El Naranjo was supposed to be off Interstate 35, just south of 6th street. But when we arrived at Rainey Street, the truck was nowhere to be seen. Instead we found ourselves in a residential district lined with bars in homes and trailers in front yards.

It was only around 5 p.m., so we thought we were too early. To kill time, we chatted with a couple of University of Texas students. Soon, our adventures in the Austin food-truck scene were set into motion. The students told us about several other great food trucks around Austin. Later, a retired couple pointed us in the direction of G’Raj Mahal across the street. We started there.

G’Raj Mahal was a trailer with tables and benches set up outside. You order your items from a server; they bring out your food promptly. The coconut naan was simply amazing—good enough to eat on its own! I ordered kashkmiri with chicken, which was creamy with deep flavor. And the sagg was tasty as well. It was worth the $28 for food, and the service was fast (we got there just at the start of the rush). Overall, it was some of the best Indian food that I’ve had in a while.

Next, we walked back to Rainey Street to look for El Naranjo. Still, El Naranjo was nowhere in sight. We enquired after its location at a restaurant nearby. They told me it had moved to 12th street. It turns out that the food truck’s former location on Rainey Street will be turned into a brick-and-mortar restaurant because of the popularity of the mobile concept.

We finally arrived at El Naranjo, which was stationed on a parking pad with two other trucks. We could not wait to try the famous moles built around the smoky, earthy flavors of dry-roasted chilies and Mexican herbs, such as hoja santa. To taste the authenticity of the food truck’s offerings, we ordered the tinga verde tacos (shredded chicken in green sauce). They were spicy but also excellent and fresh. The heat from the green sauce made my eyes teary, and the cochintta (black beans with marinated pork and onions) was yummy. And the guacamole was the best I’ve ever had. I loved the friendly service and I was also able to snap a picture or two with the cooks in the kitchen. I thought I already knew a thing or two about Mexican food, but on my trip to Austin I discovered a new style of Mexican cuisine that I have to admit was unfamiliar to me. The bill came to only $15 with a beverage, and it was well worth it.

We completed our food truck chase at Osmo’s kitchen, located across from El Naranjo. It’s owned by a nice husband and wife chef team that graduated from the Culinary Institute of America. After a great chat with the couple, we learned that they are famous for Southern Louisiana cuisines like chicken & Andouille Gumbo and po’ boys. We were so full at this point, that I opted to just try the rice pudding as a finale to our evening feast. For only $2.50, it worth every penny, and it simply tasted great.

After visiting these food trucks with great-tasting, authentic food, excellent personal service, and a real sense of community, I have a good feeling of what food trucks can offer to a town and the people they serve.

This is Ken Toong. Thank you for keeping UMass Dining at the top.

Contact Ken at ktoong@mail.aux.umass.edu

You can follow Ken Toong on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/KenToong