My first
full week of the internship is now complete, and it was a major success! I got
to do more hands-on work in the dining centers during my second week that
included food prep, inventory, retailing, cashiering, and venue set up. Monday
and Tuesday were spent in the Maucker Student Union at the dining location
called Prexy’s. Only certain food stations are open during the summer due to
fewer customers, so I worked at the few that were open. These included Chats
the coffee shop, Wasabi the Mongolian grill, Flares the traditional American
grill, Essentials the retail snack and supply store, and the Grab & Go
station. I have never used or seen a Mongolian grill before, so it was fun to
cook stir fry on that during the busy lunch rush.
Wednesday involved learning about how
recipes are costed out before service and also a visit to a food show on
campus. The company that supplies most of the food products to the university
held a food show on campus for foodservice managers in the area. There were
close to 30 booths set up in a large ballroom that were promoting new products
and handing out tons of free samples. The show did not look that large when we
got there, but once we started walking around, tasting, and talking to the
vendors the two hours of the show whipped by. At the end of the show, most of
the vendors tried to get rid of any leftover samples because they did not want
to take them back to their business, which meant a bagful of take-home treats.
I don’t think I will need to buy any snacks for the next six weeks in Cedar
Falls!
On Thursday,
I spent the day with Chris, the retail manager for the campus food carts and
convenience stores. He took me on a walking tour of the campus to look at all
of the retail locations that serve grab and go sandwiches and salads, soups,
baked goods, packaged snacks, beverages, and other such items. We talked about
how the locations are set up and managed, and discussed the latest dining
project which is building a tea-focused food cart in the library. I started
working on my retail marketing project which will involve laying out a plan for
serving specialty sandwiches at the popular deli station in the larger of the
two C-stores.
Friday
consisted of setting up the Rialto dining center, which is one of the large
all-you-care-to-eat dining centers. Summer hours at Rialto begin tomorrow and diners
from the summer camps, conferences, and summer residence halls will start
coming in for meals. I worked with the full-time managers and student
supervisors to get everything in its place so that service can begin swiftly
and smoothly on Monday.
Outside of my internship hours this
week, I kept busy playing sand volleyball, visiting the college farmers market,
and celebrating my birthday on the weekend. The farmers market did not have
many fresh vegetables yet because of the weather, but there were lots of plants
for sale.
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| my plants from the market |
On my
birthday, I got to climb to the top of the campanile and listen to my friend
and her duet-partner play the carillon, complete with a personal performance of
“Happy Birthday” that rung out for everyone in the area to hear. Only a few
students are trained and authorized to play the carillon organ, and one of them
just happened to be a cashier that I met during my rotation at the student
union during the week. It was a memorable birthday and a great week overall!
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| the campanile |
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| view of campus from the top of the campanile |
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