Chow lines ready to open next month
by Connie Yu, Managing Editor

   Two weeks after the Board of Trustees approved Educational Catering, Inc. for the college's cafeteria vending services, TCC officials and company representatives have concluded contract negotiation.
   But instead of resuming partial cafeteria service before the grand opening as originally planned, they decided to reopen all cafeteria facilities in October.
   "When we open, we are going to have a bam," Kathy Woodruff, the company's DFW director, said. "We want to get everything ready and get everything right."
   Openings, Woodruff said, will be staggered over a two-week period in October. SE Campus services are scheduled to begin Oct. 14 while NW will get service beginning Oct. 16. The next week will mark service beginnings for NE and South campuses with NE opening Oct. 20 and South Oct. 22.
   Woodruff will spend the next few weeks assessing each of the college's four cafeteria facilities. She will also work with TCC officials to decorate each cafeteria and renovate some of its older facilities.
   "I think it's going to take some good elbow grease," she said. "I like things to be bright and cheerful."
   During a presentation to the cafeteria committee, Woodruff spoke of refreshing the cafeteria ambience with pots of greenery and friendly banners. She said the company will treat each campus independently and adapt to the desires of each campus community.
   "Personally, I would like to walk around each campus and just talk to students to find out what they want," she said. "The steam tables are the things of the past."
   In addition to traditional cafeteria items, such as hamburgers, sandwiches and hot dogs, the company plans to offer a variety of entrŽe combos and salad selections. There will also be packaged "grab-and-go" items for commuters, according to the company proposal.
   Other potential features include kiosk stations that serve packaged food in some campus buildings during rush hours, a cafŽ debit system that allows students to use their student identification cards as debit cards in the cafeterias and on-line dining and catering services.
   Seven vending companies in the region bid for the contract. Four of them, chosen by the TCC administration, then went before a cafeteria committee, consisting of representatives from the four campuses, to present their proposals.
   Chaired by Rudy Gonzales, vice chancellor of financial services, the committee voted unanimously for Educational Catering, Inc. for its positive attitude and innovative marketing plans.
   "They gave us an impression that this is a company that can turn this thing around," Gonzales said. "They seem to have a previous record that says they can."
   Members of the committee include Richard Inman, district business service director; Dr. Larry Darlage, NE Campus president; Rusty Fox, SE dean of student development and educational services; Dr. Lois Wells, NW dean of instruction; Charles Huber, South director of student activities, and two student representatives. The students had to leave early for prior engagements and did not attend the vote.
   The 10-year-old company currently serves seven other clients in the DFW area, with most of them being private primary and secondary schools. TCC will be the company's first college-level client and the biggest, with all four campuses combined.
   Woodruff said she is confident that the company's lack of experience in college dining services will not hinder its food services.
   Many of the company directors, herself included, have experience in serving college communities, Woodruff said.
   The committee also preferred the company for its smaller size over some of the larger corporate competitors.
   "Small companies are hungrier because they really need it," Gonzales said. "They realize that if we are not successful, they are not successful." Bigger corporations are more profit oriented and less willing to adapt to the less profitable market in community colleges, Gonzales said.
   "My experience with these companies has been that if they are making money, they are happy," he said. "But if they aren't, they always come back to ask us for it."
   Several leading cafeteria vendors for the universities in the region, including Aramark, Sodeso Marriad and Chartwells, have rejected the college service for its low cafeteria volume.
   But Woodruff said she is far from discouraged.
   "I want to bring the students back to our cafeterias," she said. Though the administration has strong confidence in the company's proposal, it also wants to ensure the college will not face a repeat of the unpleasant experience with its previous vendor, Weber's Catering,
   Gonzales said. The college was forced to close down the cafeterias during the summer after Weber's Catering failed to generate revenue and abruptly filed for bankruptcy. Under the new proposed contract, the college will retain its business with Educational Catering, Inc. only if the company reaches a satisfactory level in an annual performance evaluation. Gonzales said he plans to maintain regular contact with Woodruff and her team of campus managers.
   He also plans to start a cafeteria committee on each campus to conduct periodic evaluations and generate feedback.
   "Hopefully, we are going to provide better food quality and services, but if we see that the company is not satisfying us, we will go out and get a new one," he said. "I am committed to not go down that road again," Gonzales said.