Dining Re-Entry: Q+A with HBS Food Service Management
by Shona Simkin Perhaps nowhere on campus are the changes required for limiting the spread of COVID-19 more obvious than in dining services. From signage to single tables, it’s different. Last spring, we spoke with Andrew Falzone, director of campus and food services; Todd Mulder, Restaurant Associates (RA) general manager; and David Fillippetti, RA executive chef as they shifted services amidst rapidly-changing state and local guidelines. We caught up with them to ask about new changes and regulations, what the community can expect in the dining facilities, and how everyone can assist in their efforts to provide delicious, thoughtful, and healthy food in a safe and efficient manner. We last spoke in late April—what was the dining service like over the summer? ![]() Photo: Hensley Carrasco Did you deliver food to students in quarantine?
We’re now ramping quarantine service up in preparation for student move-in. Both state and Harvard guidance mandates that anyone outside of Massachusetts must quarantine upon arrival to campus for 14 days. ![]() Photo: Hensley Carrasco What are some of the new dining procedures that people will notice once they’re back on campus? We’ve also extended dining hours for the Grille, which will now be open from 8:00am to 4:00pm, so that we can spread out people over more areas. Spangler Food Court will be open from 7:00am to 2:00pm, then again for dinner from 4:00pm to 8:00pm. The Café, which only accepts orders through Thrive, will be open from 7:00am to 6:00pm. On September 1 we will be opening up Chao for dining as well—we’ve added registers so that it will function as a retail outlet like Spangler Center Food Court, with Bridge Coffee Bar also open. We’ve put a lot of effort into the new Thrive app, which allows you to pre-order a custom sandwich, sushi, or coffee. The production and pickup for Thrive will be in the finishing kitchen next to the Williams Room. We’ve also opened up the Williams Room for dining, so that once you pick up your Thrive order you can sit in a distanced dining area Falzone: We will be supporting student organizations with a good, simplified version of our catering program that is very focused on health and safety. We will announce more details about that soon, but we’ve worked hard on providing options that foster student life and create a campus community. What are some of the safety measures behind the scenes? Mulder: Those work clusters are really important for trust as well. Everyone in the team of 20 to 30 people knows that they all share responsibility for doing the right thing and keeping each other safe. We also have a quality assurance manager who is dedicated to making sure that everyone is following the correct protocols for food safety and health and safety. Another important part of the team is a registered dietitian, who will be available to help students with allergies or special dietary needs navigate this new system. Has the food itself changed? Have there been any challenges in serving food in containers rather than buffet style? Falzone: We're still about 90 percent compostable, it's really just the hot entrees that are only recyclable. There are stickers on the containers and signs about what is compostable and what is recyclable so that diners can dispose of their items correctly. ![]() Photo: Hensley Carrasco You have put a lot of work into spacing people out throughout campus for dining. Can you tell us a bit more about that? Mulder: All of the seating arrangements have shifted to allow for safe dining as you have to remove your mask to eat. Dining tables are almost all individual. Spangler and Chao each have 50 spots for dining, and we’re looking into opening up the second floor lounge area of Chao for dining as well. ![]() Photo: Hensley Carrasco How does the new Thrive app help with those efforts? The flexibility that it allows really helps with the spacing constraints we’re working with, and is a great way for community members to avoid those crowded spaces and spread out. For those interested in Thrive, you can get the app on Apple and Google or text “Thrive” to 99299. Are there any tips for helping the community navigate through the dining spaces efficiently? What else can the community do to help ensure everyone’s safety? Falzone: It's really the community pledge we're making when we come back to campus. Our frontline workers have been coming to campus since the spring to provide this essential service. It’s an important service for the school, and our hope is that community members take it as seriously as these associates do with regards to their teammates' health and safety and its impact on the community. We hope that the community members coming back are doing the same, for the benefit of those who are here to provide service to them. |
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