Hood College makes changes to dining hall

By Cristian Reyna//

The director of dining services is making changes to the dining hall’s menu and food station locations this semester.

The director, John Bragel, said he wants students to have the easiest possible access to food in the dining hall.

The cereal station and mini fridge are now together, allowing students easy access to everything in a practical location. Students also have two new cereals, Frosted Toasted Mini Wheats and Frosted Flakes.

Additionally, the location of the soup-of-the-day station has changed to the main line in the back of the dining hall to ensure that an increased number of students and staff are able to see it. Before, the station was on display at the salad bar and would go untouched for the majority of the day.

One of the biggest priorities of Bragel and his chefs is to give students variety. “Variety, to me, is always more,” Bragel said.

Bragel and executive chef Baylen Cureton have a five-week menu cycle that allows the staff to track the food.

The menu cycle helps improve productivity in the dining hall. “We know if we ran out, then we know it is popular and we make sure we increase it; but if it is a dud, then we know when our menu comes, we take it off,” Bragel said.

The changes made to the location of certain foods and the menu come largely from Voice of the Consumer (VOC) surveys. “The importance of the VOC surveys is a way for students to recognize any employee that has gone above and beyond, and for any recommendations to the menu,” Bragel said.

By completing the VOC surveys, students can tell the dining hall what items on the menu they like and dislike.