Stephen Kelly

Sometimes it pays to have a few more cooks in the kitchen. At least, that is the approach Patty Spinelli, executive director of Dining Services, took when she began retooling the internal structure of the dining department. Prior to that, the operation hadn’t undergone major change in about 30 years. “We took a look at the organization and said, ‘How can we get more people involved in the decision making?’” Spinelli used her experience as the former head of RIT’s Human Resources office to bring a more personable, round-table style atmosphere to the way Dining Services are run.

Instead of having a director and two associate directors, one academic and one residential, we said ‘we’re all the same,’” said Spinelli. The goal was to make sure that everyone working at Dining Services felt that they had equal say in what goes on, and to keep new ideas flowing. This has led to one of the most dynamic planning periods in decades as the department gears up for a slew of new installments for the 2010 — 2011 academic year.

The department’s big project is Express Dining, an effort headed by Nicole Gilbert, the Express Dining manager. The plan is to be able to provide late night options for students that are more convenient and accessible. It’s not cost effective to keep larger facilities open during the mid-evening dining lull, which generally occurs between 6 and 9 p.m. Therefore, the plan is to introduce two new means of getting the students food when they want it. The first is a proposed mobile van or truck that would circulate around campus similar to street vendors in cities like New York or Philadelphia. The van’s location could be tracked online through the dining website or Twitter so students would know when it would be in their area.

The other proposed addition is stationary “grab-and-go kiosks” that would provide prepared items like salads and sandwiches. The idea is to provide small, yet efficient “dining footprints” around campus. Both of these new options are proposed to accept cash and RIT food debit.

The additions don’t stop there. Starting in the fall, the upstairs concession stand in the Gordon Field House will feature quick lunch options and will possibly include breakfast and dinner. In addition, the opening of Global Village will introduce two new dining facilities: Salsarita’s Fresh Mexican and the Global Grill. The made-to-order Mexican cuisine from Salsarita’s Café and Cantina will be prepared in front of the customer, and a bar serving global beers and margaritas will be open in the back. The Global Grill will feature a range of international recipes prepared daily, including fresh sushi.

Stephen Kelly

Gilbert and Spinelli stress that student feedback is crucial in the decisions that Dining Services makes. Every dining hall on campus, except for Crossroads, has a Facebook page where students can provide feedback. “We’re really shooting to take full advantage of these [social networking systems],” said Gilbert.

The team hopes these new communication mediums will also make it easier for students to see the available choices. In addition to the use of social media, Dining Services is planning a complete overhaul of the dining website to better engage the students and keep them informed. Nutritional information has been a highly-voiced concern among both faculty and students; therefore the information, while already available, is going to be reorganized in a way that makes it easier to find.

A goal has also been set to ensure that vegetarian options are in place at all of the dining locations on campus and that vegan choices are available as well.

Finally, the group has also tasked itself with creating “Rochester’s best pizza” through student feedback and a little experimenting. “I don’t want to see anymore of these [Domino’s pizza boxes] on my campus!” Spinelli joked.

The team wants students to see the effort they’re putting forward to try and serve them better. “I hope the students are seeing a new can-do attitude with us,” said Spinelli. “I really feel good about what the students will see over the next year or two.”