Sunday, July 8, 2012

University of Northern Iowa (UNI) Week 5

DAY 18: CONFERENCE AND EMPLOYMENT PLUS A LITTLE FREE TIME
Monday, July 2, 2012
University of Northern Iowa
            Today, I worked in the Redeker Center within the Department of Residence.  Specifically, I worked with the Summer Dining Conference Coordinator/Assistant Director of Residential Dining, Dining Service Administration.  The purpose of the day was to become familiar with the UNI’s Summer Conference Program and to become familiar with the differences of non-union/temporary, union, and student employment.
            First, we discussed the conferences.  UNI hosts several conferences over the summer such as sports camps, photography groups, Upward Bound, and orientation.  Typically, the people that are within the conferences pay a slightly reduced rate than the students at UNI.  Some conferences will stay on campus for the duration of their “camp,” whereas others will only be there during the day.  Housing is a factor when it comes to planning for conferences.  Recently, I learned that UNI only has two residence halls with air conditioning!  Can you imagine that?  These summer conferences are scheduled as far out as January or as late as one month before.  Sometimes there are cancelations, and the patron count is inaccurate.  Typically, the “camp” will be charged a fee if this occurs.
            With that being said, the Conference Coordinator and Food Services must communicate with one another.  The counts must be accurate, so the dining halls can produce enough food and labor for the conferences.  In addition, the Conference Coordinator must tell Food Services that there is a special diet in one of the groups, such as a person who is allergic to gluten.  Food services are more than accommodating here at UNI, but if they do not know of the special diet, then it is hard to make changes.  In addition, some groups may not be available during dining hours, so the dining hall may accommodate them by having food in their commons area of their residential halls.  Lastly, the menus are planned to fit various groups.  For example, Upward Bound requires their children to have a fruit, vegetable, meat, dairy, and grain for each meal.  In addition, if the group is young, UNI does not serve stir-fry, or if it is an older group, UNI does not serve chicken nuggets.
            Next, we discussed the employment at UNI.  There are is non-union/temporary, union, and student employment at UNI.  Non-union/temporary employees are employees who get paid hourly.  Union employees are paid salaries, and they receive benefits that non-union employees may not receive.  Student employees also are paid hourly; however, there are pay incentives to work more hours, such as a quarter more an hour if he or she works more than 10 hours in a week.  In addition, the students receive a raise each semester that they return to working with UNI.  Each type of employment has documents and handbooks that outline their expectations and rules/guidelines for employment practices including discipline.  The disciplinary procedures are nearly the same for all levels: coaching, verbal warning, written warning, suspension (not student employment), and termination.  As for procedures of grievance/appeal hearings due to the disciplinary action, non-union employees have their PN counselor to help them, union employees have union representation, and students do not typically have any counselors.  It is a three step process: 1) dean/director of department, 2) outside the department, and 3) arbitrator outside the university
            The last thing we discussed was the fundamentals of management and their roles on the team.  They create a positive atmosphere for their employees by developing one on one relationships with each employee.  They ensure their trust, fairness, respect, and specifications for each of their employees.  Lastly, they manage the staff to ensure there is no labor shortages.

DAY 19: SPECIAL EVENT DAY
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
University of Northern Iowa
            There is a T minus 22 days until my event.  I have decided to cut costs on decorations by using the plotter to print pictures.  The problem with that is that it is time consuming to cut out a billion pictures.  The plotter prints at turtle speed, so that did not help my strategy.  Not to bore you with all the details of my uneventful day, I have successfully researched all the pictures that I will be using, printed them on the plotter, and I am a quarter of the way cutting them out as we speak or type rather.
            In addition, I had time to complete my other project for retail.  I had to come up with a marketing retail promotion for one of the c-stores on campus here is what I came up.  To increase the awareness of the 23rd Street Market c-store by creating an incentive to students who purchase the promoted items.  I created a flyer to advertise the promotional event the week prior.  The promotion is called “The Movie Night Bundled Package.”  There will be Pepsi products, excluding energy drinks on sale 2 for $2.  In addition, there will be movie theater “boxed” candies on sale for 2 for $2.  Students can enter to win the Movie Night Bundled Package, which includes a flat screen TV, 10 varieties of boxed candies, 2 large buckets of popcorn, 4 bottles of Pepsi product, 4 DVDS (National Lampoon’s Van Wilder, Just Go With It, Inception, and Remember the Titans), and a UNI stadium blanket.  I created a display, that Pepsi could sponsor including donating the flat screen TV for the promotion of their products.  I created a living room scenery made from cases of soda/pop including a TV stand, couch, coffee table, and an end table.  I placed the items from the “Bundled Package” within the display.  Hopefully, the TV giveaway and the 2 for $2 will create buzz on the campus about 23rd Street Market at UNI.
            Now, it’s back to cutting…

Wednesday, July 4, 2012
HAPPY 236th BIRTHDAY AMERICA!

DAY 20: FINISH UP RIALTO VENUES
Thursday, July 5, 2012
University of Northern Iowa
            Today, I went to Rialto to finish up the venues.  There was not a lot that I needed to do this day.  I only needed to discuss with a food service supervisor about a few things in the dining hall.  While I was waiting, I decided to help out in the kitchen a bit.  I made a spaghetti bake for a daycare.  It was simple; however, I almost put 3.5 pounds of sugar into the meat sauce, whoops!  I looked at the wrong line of measurements.  We needed 3.5 pounds of crushed tomatoes.  All I can say, if I did not catch my error it would be the kids at the daycare would be extremely hyperactive from all the sugar! 
            Next, I created a list of items that I still needed for my special event, because tomorrow we are going shopping!  In addition, I researched some items that I wanted on Oriental Trading’s website.  I cannot wait to see how this event will turn out!  Now, I am ready to discuss the items from my huge book with the food service supervisor.
            First, we discussed a little bit about inventory.  The ways to control inventory measures are as followed using standardized recipes, receiving records, service records, invoice records, and proper measuring techniques in the kitchen.  As you know I helped with inventory counting last week, so now, I am just learning the paperwork side of things.  Lastly, we discussed the effect of an inventory error and post-cost information.  To figure out that there is an error, Rialto employees cross-examine the actual amount of items that we have versus the ideal amount of items we should have.  If not caught, the effects can be an under yield of product, not having enough ingredients to make the meal, purchasing an excess amount that will expire, etc.
            Second, we discussed general production.  We analyzed both causes and effects of under yields and over yields.  Overcooking, measuring incorrectly, recipe errors, short staffs, and unannounced conferences can cause under yielding.  Last minute cancellations, incorrect recipes, incorrect forecasting, and incorrect pricing can lead to an over yield.  I think the effects are obvious. 
            Third, we discussed how customer feedback is obtained.  Rialto has a Facebook account, and people who “like” the page can leave comments about the food and suggest items they would like to see on the menu.  The other way customers can leave feedback is through the Department of Residence’s webpage on the UNI’s website.  The last way customers can provide feedback is through the NACUFS survey that is distributed each year at the dining halls in November.
            Fourth, we discussed the factors that Rialto managers take into consideration when determining the acceptability factors on items that will be served for the first time.  Basically, they use their best guess to try to figure out how many people will consume the item.  Sometimes they will forecast an item based on a similar item.  Lastly, they take into consideration the demographics of the people they will be serving such as age, nationality, or gender.
            Fifth, we discussed the factors controlled by the manager that impact food cost.  Like the acceptability factors managers take into consideration the demographics of their customers.  Next, choosing a day that either has a high count or low count can impact the food cost.  In addition, managers can split up high cost items, make menu adjustments, instruct staff to properly batch the food, and instruct the staff how to properly handle the food, which will reduce the cost of food. 
            For the rest of the day, I worked on my special event.  I am getting to the point where I wish that the event was over.

DAY 21: RECEIVING, ICE CREAM MACHINE, PARTY CITY, AND WAL-MART
Friday, July 6, 2012
University of Northern Iowa
            Whoa, 5:20 came way too early this morning.  Receiving at Rialto begins at 6:00 AM sharp.  I helped a student supervisor and a student supervisor in training check in a truck.  I did both parts of the two-person procedure the caller and recorder.  We had to ensure the products that we ordered were the same as the receipt/invoice.  Martin Brothers and Anderson & Erickson Dairy delivered their products this Friday.
            First, we checked the products in.  We only had two problems with the products.  There were extremely unripen bananas, and the sorbet fell over.  We did not accept the bananas, so we sent them back with Martin Brothers, but the sorbet that fell over was an accident, and since it happened in Rialto, Martin Brothers could not issue a refund.  As for the bananas, this could create a future problem, if we needed the bananas for a recipe.  Since it is summer and the customer counts are low, the bananas were a nonissue.  During the school year, the short could become problematic depending on if there are replacements or the time they need the product. 
            Next, we put away the items.  Brr! The freezers were cold.  We made sure that the product numbers matched what was on the sheets.  When we were finished with those items, like clockwork Anderson & Erickson delivered the milk.  The 2% milk was out of stock in the dining center, so the student supervisor in training and I changed the milk stations.  Those milk bags were heavy—40 pounds each! 
            After we finished putting away the milk, we had breakfast.  I was hungry from looking at and lifting all that heavy food in the morning.  Over breakfast, we cross-examined the invoice with the order from FoodPro to ensure that we not only received everything we ordered we paid the correct amount and did not have extras.  This ensures we have an electronic inventory of our items, and FoodPro does not automatically order more products.
            Next, a student supervisor and I pulled and checked items that we will be using for Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.  The hardest thing to find was the guacamole.  Normally, it would have been stored in the freezer of all places.  After what felt like hours in the freezer and my nose and ears beginning to numb, we gave up.  We made sure that we had enough ingredients to make the recipes in the near future.  In addition, we moved items such as beef from the freezer to the refrigerator, so they would be thawed and ready to use.
            It was perfect timing to finish, because a student supervisor was just beginning to clean the ice cream machine.  We dissembled the machine with all its screws and parts and put them through the dishwasher.  Next, we ran hot water through the machine and sanitized it.  It made it much easier that Rialto had a faucet above the machine, so we did not have to climb a ladder with a large bucket of hot water.  I think it is time for UNI to order a new ice cream machine or new parts.  The suction rings kept falling down and was not doing their jobs of creating a seal.  The machine leaked.  It took us five tries to have the machine working properly. 
            Now, it is time for shopping!  The food service supervisor and I went to Waterloo to go to Party City.  I bought an international flag banner.  Then we went to Wal-Mart to purchase more balloons, a balloon pump, some USA window clings, and a discus shaped object.  When we returned to Rialto, I purchased plastic medals for prices on Oriental Trading’s website.
            I worked on my project for the rest of the afternoon, I am still cutting out those pictures URGHH!  Time for the weekend! Whoot! I am actually doing something this weekend a few of the student workers from Rialto are heading to the George Wyth beach and the fireworks on Saturday.

No comments:

Post a Comment