Wyoming Weeks 4 & 5

Beautiful Day on campus

These last two weeks have flown by. We've been busy as we transitioned from the operations in the back of the house to the front of the house as well as retail. In front of the house operations we were responsible for all aspects of what the consumer/student experiences while they dine, as well as dish room operations. Just like the back of the house, the front of the house revolves mostly around forecasting and planning for each meal. Priorities that the front of the house manages are predicted customer counts for a given meal and updating the displayed menu. Both of these tasks involves a great deal of communication with the senior cooks and chefs. Before the menu can be displayed, the front of the house must know what stations food will be served at and also what changes have been/need to be made to the current menu. With updated information on the menu, the manager can appropriately staff each station and assign other supporting roles such as beverage and soup attendants. With that said menu planning is often timed accordingly with the beginning of a new shift. Call outs, over-staffing, and under-staffing have a great effect on how the operation will run for that mealtime and also what tasks each employee will be responsible for.

Finalizing Menus

One of the most important (and overlooked) departments of a dining operation is the dish room. The dish room staff also relies on the customer count to prepare for the cleaning and sanitation of dishes that begin to accumulate during meal time. Not only do employees clean customer dishes but also prep equipment. They efficiency at which this gets done is important to the overall flow of dining as the next meal of the day may be only a few short hours away.
Front of the house operations operations has been my primary motivation for embarking on a career in college and university dining. While no more/less important than the rest of the operation, FOH manager's primary goal is customer satisfaction. A customer may be unhappy with a particular menu selection (which could ruin their whole day entirely anyway). However a quick and smooth card-swipe entrance, the ease at which they read what's on the menu, the cleanliness of the dining hall, and a fully stocked milk or beverage dispenser are just a few positive experiences that turn one bad meal into a decent experience. In summary, some things are out of your control as a manager, but it is important to focus on what can be controlled and aim for the highest level of customer satisfaction that can be achieved.


Week 5
Beginning Week 5, we moved to the student Union building, which is home to many of the retail operations at University of Wyoming. Here we had a chance to work at a few locations such as Panda Express, Pita Pit, Rolling Mill Cafe, Rendezvous, and CJ's Convenience Store.

Rolling Mill Cafe

Proudly Serving Starbucks Coffee

Mastering the Wok

Aside from physical work at each location we were able to look at the financial records each operation. Again, FORECASTING and COMMUNICATION were key. (Seeing a trend here?). Profit and loss statements, budget statements, and expense reports offer the raw data needed to analyze the efficiency and overall success of each operation. With these documents, managers in the retail department are able to reflect on previous profits and losses and discuss what changes need to be made if any, and what direction they will go next. These decisions are not made easily. We took a look at which retail outlets purchase and utilize the most and the challenges organizations face staying organized through it all. We were able to observe deliveries for cash-ops products and lend a hand in checking temperatures of received products such as sushi, that get prepared and delivered from across campus. At the end of the week we were able to do some more recipe testing with turkey burgers. At the end of the day we tested and approved three different recipes for turkey burgers, some including avocado, bacon, hot sauce, and cranberries.

The Allman Brothers - One Way Out

 Cello Workout

In our spare time we've joined a gym and have been proactive about staying in great shape. Even if you're on your feet all day, there's always time to exercise and become stronger. One of our supervisors, Francisco invited us to play tennis once and also took us on bike ride last Sunday. We rode 30 miles and I recorded a top speed of 51mph. Francisco and I also jammed with his band, who play strictly Spanish folk music. Good thing I brought my guitar! Aside from the gym and adventures with Francisco, I ventured over to the barber shop to get my ears lowered by Larry at the Haircut Company. If you're ever in Laramie, 4th and Grand is your go to. He is also a stylist too ladies! Over the weeks, we have made friends with a few locals and explored the night life in Laramie. I took trying new things one step further at nearby establishment last Wednesday by singing, "One Way Out" by The Allman Brothers with a local band. Thanks to Mark Zieres for the warm introduction. With confidence from my blues performance I dabbled with a Cello. I'll take the average of the two.

Mid bike ride and Francisco strumming a firm C-chord

For the fourth of July, we traveled two hours south to Denver where we met an old friend from college, Nick. We spent the day grilling at Denver City Park. We had to hold out for a few rain storms but if you ever been to Denver you know the weather report: Wait twenty minutes and check again. There was sunshine in no time. The Sunday following July 4th, we had our first Red Rocks concert experience with Trevor Hall, Brett Dennen, SOJA, and Michael Franti. That place is spectacular. At one point in Michael Franti's performance, he climbed through the crowd, up the stands, reaching out to everyone he could touch. Lucky enough he climbed straight for us and I was able to shake his hand 25 rows up. I'll never forget that experience.

Our Grove at Denver City Park

Michael Franti

With only a few more weeks here in Wyoming I can only hope it continues the way it has been going. I've met more than a fair number of people, all of which have been more than friendly and helpful in making an out-of-towner feel welcome.

Go Pokes

Chris