An Update From Our M Food Co. Vice President of Operations

I am writing today to acknowledge some of the dining concerns that have recently been brought to my attention. First and foremost, I want to apologize to any student who feels their needs are not being addressed. As the Vice President of Operations on campus, my number one priority is to ensure that we deliver a quality, safe, and delicious dining experience, and regret that we have fallen short on this promise.

This does not reflect the level of service and care that the campus deserves and expects, and my team and I are committed to establishing a dining program that the campus community can be proud of. Here is what we are doing in partnership with the University to address these issues:

Staffing

Like many in our industry, and across the nation, we are facing unprecedented labor shortages that have made hiring challenging. While we were prepared for this, and began outreach early, we are still facing labor shortages that have, in turn, required us to temporarily reduce the hours of operation in our dining halls.

We are doing everything we can to keep these changes temporary and, in the meantime, have deployed additional hiring efforts to support staffing needs that will allow our teams to focus more on preparing and serving food in the dining halls.

We are working to hire as many students as possible. Student dining workers are University of Minnesota employees and are offered a starting wage of $15.75.

Food Quality and Special Diets

Several of the concerns brought to our attention involved the lack of options at some of our locations. In response, we are adding additional service checks throughout the day to ensure that food is replenished more efficiently during peak hours.  In addition, we are placing a priority on staffing and servicing our allergen friendly stations for those with special diets.  We encourage students with allergies and special diets to reach out to our Registered Dietitian.

Communication

I recognize that the recent changes to our service hours may have come as a surprise to some students. We have re-evaluated our communications process and are committed to delivering more proactive communications on dining changes moving forward. Additionally, we encourage students to reach out to us with questions or concerns through the feedback form on our website. All emails will be addressed within 1-2 business days to make sure your concerns are heard.

We understand that the dining program is an important component of campus life and an investment for families. Please know that we are focused on resolving these issues and delivering a dining program with quality food and exceptional service. If you have any additional questions or concerns, please reach out to me directly at my email address below. Thank you for your continued support of M Food Co.

Sincerely,

Dawn Aubrey, PhD, MBA, CCA, CEC, FMP
Vice President of Operations, M Food Co. / Chartwells
[email protected]
612.625.8946