Food Service Master Plan
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Food Service Master Plan MEMORANDUM OF FINDINGS / SUMMER 2019 INSPIRE. EMPOWER. ADVANCE. UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA FOOD SERVICE MASTER PLAN Contents Preface ..............................................................................................................................................2 Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................4 Detailed Findings ...............................................................................................................................7 Strategic Direction for Gator Dining ....................................................................................................7 Gator Dining Existing Conditions ........................................................................................................8 Existing Conditions Summary of Findings ..................................................................................................... 8 Gator Dining Overview .................................................................................................................................. 9 Current Dining Satisfaction and Value Proposition .................................................................................... 10 Focus Groups Summary .............................................................................................................................. 13 Desired Improvements to Gator Dining ...................................................................................................... 15 Meal Plan Participation ............................................................................................................................... 16 Training Table Assessment.......................................................................................................................... 18 Catering Assessment ................................................................................................................................... 19 Off-Campus Analysis ................................................................................................................................... 22 Peer Benchmarking & Competitive Context ............................................................................................... 23 Contract Analysis and Existing Performance .............................................................................................. 29 Gator Dining Future Considerations .................................................................................................. 33 Future Considerations Summary of Findings .............................................................................................. 33 Programmatic Response ............................................................................................................................. 34 Demand and Campus Utilization ................................................................................................................ 36 Capital Investment Needs ........................................................................................................................... 39 Meal Plan Requirement Considerations ..................................................................................................... 41 Retail Asessment ......................................................................................................................................... 41 Sustainability & Social Justice ..................................................................................................................... 46 Next Steps ....................................................................................................................................... 48 Exhibit A – Importance of Dining Factors vs. Satisfaction .............................................................................. Exhibit B – Desired Brands / Concepts Not Currently Offered On-Campus .................................................... Exhibit C – Director of Dining Sample Job Description ................................................................................... Exhibit D – Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) ............................................................................................... Exhibit E – Raw Survey Results (Spring 2019) ................................................................................................. BRAlLSFORD & DUNLAVEY 1 UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA FOOD SERVICE MASTER PLAN Preface In Spring 2019, the University of Florida (“UF” or the “University”) engaged Brailsford & Dunlavey, Inc. (“B&D”), in collaboration with Petit Consulting LLC (together, the “Project Team”), to lead the University through a food service master planning process (“Plan” or “Master Plan”). Ultimately, it is desired for campus dining (“Gator Dining”) to provide a value-added experience to all campus constituents and support the overall University’s brand as it strives to become a top-5 public institution in the country. The pursuit of this Master Plan aligns with the University’s existing contract term, which is set to expire with the current operator on June 30, 2021. The findings and recommendations herein aim to inform Gator Dining’s priorities for what must be accomplished through the partnership with the next selected contractor. To provide a guide for near-term adjustments to Gator Dining, and create a more holistic vision for the next iteration of dining at UF, the Plan seeks to fulfill the following objectives: 1. Establish a clear strategic direction for Gator Dining. 2. Identify key areas for improvement to align dining program delivery with the strategic direction. 3. Identify opportunities for adjustment within the contract vehicle. 4. Estimate space needs relative to existing dining facility capacities and impacts that may result from other concurrent campus planning and development initiatives. 5. Determine sequencing plan to implement recommendations prior to, during, and following UF’s next dining management solicitation. To meet these objectives, the Project Team conducted a detailed analysis of existing conditions and engaged with a variety of campus stakeholders, including students, faculty, and staff. The Project Team benefitted from the collaboration of a Business Services Working Group and the input of a Steering Committee with representation from across campus, including Business Affairs, Student Affairs, multiple academic departments, and the University Athletic Association. The Plan also takes into account the priorities and projected impacts of other recent campus planning efforts, including the Strategic Development Plan (2016-17) and the Housing Master Plan (2019). More specifically, the Project Team performed the following tasks to develop its assessment and recommendations: Document and data review Strategic Asset Value (“SAV”) work session Executive stakeholder interviews Student and employee focus groups Web-based survey Existing conditions & operations assessment BRAlLSFORD & DUNLAVEY 2 UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA FOOD SERVICE MASTER PLAN Peer benchmarking / competitive context analysis Off-campus market analysis Preliminary financial assessment Dining demand and facility capacity assessment Decision documentation and support The Plan integrates the findings from the above analyses into a series of recommendations pertaining to program offerings, operator contract structure, and facility investments that will help UF attain its goals for Gator Dining. (Remainder of page intentionally left blank.) BRAlLSFORD & DUNLAVEY 3 UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA FOOD SERVICE MASTER PLAN Executive Summary The Food Service Master Plan offers a vision for UF to enhance its dining programs in support of broader University goals and provides opportunities to achieve that vision both programmatically and through investment in dining facilities. Through the planning process, University administration, students, faculty, and staff have offered input and developed a Strategic Direction for Gator Dining (outlined fully in the Detailed Findings section) that will shape the next iteration of food service at UF. Strategic Direction vs. Existing Condition Gator Dining currently provides a valuable service to the UF campus focused on feeding large numbers of geographically dispersed students in a quick, convenient manner. The program offered on campus is largely a reflection of contract terms developed during the last solicitation for a dining operator. The contract with the current operator, Aramark, provides a number of benefits to UF, including consistent revenues to the University while transferring operating risk, frequent refreshes of campus dining venues, and University control over student costs. However, the resulting outcomes are not supportive of UF’s Strategic Direction for Gator Dining as outlined in this report. Both residential and retail offerings lag behind UF’s peers and top-ranked dining programs in offering high-quality, healthy, and customizable foods, innovative and engaging programs, and investments to dining facilities. Campus satisfaction with Gator Dining is below average compared to national benchmarks, and dissatisfaction with the quality and variety of food available on campus leads to low perceptions of value and a lack of engagement with the dining program. Given the lack of a meal plan requirement at UF, increasing the number of students “opting-in” is critical to the stability and sustainability