Survey results lead to Mariott dining proposal

Last May, Mariott presented Residential Life and Services with a strategic planning process entitled, "Putting the Pieces Together." Residential life conducted a survey and the data was compiled in a report that will be presented to the campus in mid October.

The report said Oberlin students living on campus currently pay an aggregate amount of $3,562 a semester for both room and board ($1,931 for room and $1,631 for board). Students who currently live off campus pay $1,686 per semester, $650 less than expected expenditures.

The questionnaire asked students to rate a number of different criteria in terms of their satisfaction of each item. The lowest rating of excellence in the "All You Can Eat" dining halls was given to taste and value with three percent.

The "All You Can Eat" dining hall received their highest rating of excellence in regards to the appearance of associates and the speed of service with 46 percent. Appreciation of Wilder's snackbar was greatest in terms of its convenient hours. The lowest percentile of excellence in Wilder was given to its value.

Other factors of Wilder which did not frequently receive a rating of excellent were its appearance, temperature, nutritional information and informal feedback.

According to the questinnaire, national residents consume on average 20.3 meal per week. Oberlin students fall slightly below this consumption rate, eating 19.9 meals per week.

Mariott examined the capture rate of campus dining. The capture rate is the percentage of students who eat their meals in the dining halls rather than off-campus. "Capture Rate Facts" claimed a student spends on average $219.27 at local restaurants each year. This equates to total resident student expenditure of about $435,912 each year in local restaurants. Students who live on campus spend $666,692 a year on groceries while students living off campus spend $512,889. Mariott said Oberlin students spend only about half the national average on groceries.

The next section of Mariott's strategic planning process consisted of their "Guiding Principles" in which they attempted to illustrate the "win-win" situation between their customers, Oberlin College, associates and Mariott.

According to the report, Mariott will attempt to improve price value perception which was rated as very low in the survey. They will also attempt to fix food quality, taste, and appearance. Since many students expressed concern over dining hall operation hours, Mariott pledges to offer different hours which will conform to student needs.

Mariott hopes Oberlin will benefit from the plan in a number of ways. For example, Mariott hopes to establish a partnership relationship with Oberlin. Mariott also hopes to improve overall student satisfaction and number of satisfied students by working with the College to develop short-term solutions. Mariott hopes to increase its monetary contribution to the College while providing high quality and consistent products, service, delivery and sanitation.

The report suggests two anchor operations, Stevenson and a campus center dining facility. Stevenson has a large amount of capital invested in it and serves as the main dining hall. In the center of campus, the report said, Wilder only has limited possibilities in its current state.

Dascomb, on the other hand has short term potential the report said.

The new campus center dining facility is hoped to be built in the same vicinity as the library and be able to accommodate all types of customers. The campus center facility might allow students to dine leisurely, take out and have table service options. CDS hopes to offer a variety of menu items while keeping pace with dynamic food trends.

The report recognized the need for new meal plans and if accepted, will attempt to formulate a meal plan which allows students to choose how many meals they consume weekly and how much they choose to spend in campus retail.

However, this type of meal plan will only come in the long run since changes will be made in small stages in order to insure success and to protect the College's contribution. The dining halls through which CDS operates are either antiquated for their needs or are not condusive to expansion. Before building new facilities, Mariott felt thought should be given to collapsing preexisting units that do not meet their needs.

The report's "Road Map" outlines three phases which all take place in the short-run from the summer/fall of 1997 to summer/fall of 1998. Phase one, which was implemented this summer and will continue through the fall, will attempt to audit the current dining situation and increase communication with all parties involved.

Additional plans included converting the snack bar into a convenience store and altering Dascomb into a Food Court. If these changes are made, Mariott would attempt to create new meal plans to increase flexibility. An "identity" might be created for each dining pod in Stevenson, and bakery operations would be relocated from South to Dascomb .

If the plan is accepted, phase two is slated to go into effect this coming Spring. Some aspects of this phase would create a family style service format at Talcott, conduct a second year strategic planning process, and begin the design phase of Stevenson Dining Hall." They also hope to plan a time frame in which the campus center will be developed. Mariott will then reassess operating reports and develop a meal plan for the Fall Semester of 1998.

The final phase, three, will begin by renovating Stevenson in an attempt to reduce fixed costs. At this time, planning for the new Campus Center will begin and food formats in Dascomb will be changed.

It may be a long time before CDS and Oberlin succeed in "Putting the Pieces Together." Nonetheless, the planning efforts of CDS and Oberlin should fulfill some of students' short-run demands and increase overall dining satisfaction.

Munchies: Students flock to the Wilder Hall Snack Bar throughout the afternoon to catch a bite to eat. The Mariott proposal suggests making the Snack Bar into a convenience store. (photo by Heidi Johansen)