Colleges and universities are significant players in the foodservice world, for both the amount of volume they move through their campuses and the role they play in creating adult food preferences for their students.
Knowing how they budget can help foodservice manufacturers become part of the story. This was the topic of the IFMA Live Conversation with members of the College & University (C&U) Foodservice Leadership Council on May 25, 2023.
Moderated by IFMA’s Charlie McConnell, featured speakers included:
- Dustin Cutler, Senior Executive Director, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY; 30 dining/retail locations with $18 million in annual food and beverage purchases
- Kris Klinger, vice president of auxiliary services, Boston University, Boston; 33 dining/retail locations with $23 million in F&B purchases
- Garett Destefano, Director of Dining, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA; 34 dining/retail locations with $35 million in F&B.
The three schools together feed 86,500 students.
“Our budgeting is menu-driven,” says Destefano. “We create a culture around food that is based on quality and the changing food preferences of our students. When we get that right, the budget and revenues will follow.
“Thirty-six percent of our students are international. So we have added items such as Indian breakfast and Mediterranean-themed power bowls. Our goal is to showcase great culinary offerings that can be served quickly.”
At Cornell, which operates on a July-to-June fiscal year, budgeting begins in February and is presented to senior leadership in March/April. “We need to fund ourselves, so we are always looking at what will sell,” says Cutler. “Menu design is a constant process. What sells in the engineering school is different than what sells in the hotel school.” Cornell has been self-operated since 1910.
Boston University’s food and beverage is managed by contractors, such as Aramark and Sodexo. Kringer first presents menu ideas to his internal team, then brings the concepts to the operators to see if they are feasible. “With the increasing costs of food and labor, we must be creative while also limiting the expense.”
Manufacturers need to understand the C&U budgeting cycle, student body demographics, and goals of the dining program to succeed in the segment.
