ON-SITE FOODSERVICE / ON-SITE INSIGHTS
College dining services tap into international street cuisines
Campus dining staffs are looking to the
streets of Singapore,
Vietnam, Peru and
Brazil for inspiration,
flavor and variety. Their
search is global, as they
introduce foods that
meet the needs of customers with ever more
sophisticated tastes and
assist in much needed
cost containment.
“I believe world
street food will be the next megatrend on
campuses because it is portable, fast, fresh,
fun to eat, bold in flavor and relatively inexpensive,” said Ken Toong, executive director of dining at the University of Massachusetts. Toong and the UMass dining services
staff hosted the 15th annual World Chef
Culinary Conference at UMass in Amherst,
Mass., in June. The theme, “World Street
Food, Local Flavor,” featured 49 presentations and workshops led by notable professionals such as Steve Sweeney, president
and chief executive of Chartwells, chef-restaurateurs Mark Miller and Joyce Gold-stein, and UMass chefs Chai Siriyan, Roberto Santibanez, John Ash. The information
and demonstrations featuring street food
helped prepare participants to demonstrate
their mettle during the conference’s American Culinary Federation-sanctioned team
DONNA L.
BOSS
culinary competition.
“Street foods have been around for hundreds of years in America and throughout
the world, and they continue to get more
popular at UMass,” Toong said. “Our
students are looking for freshness, variety
and flavor, and portable street foods really
fit the bill.”
At UMass, Toong and his staff offer
street foods including pho noodles, dim sum,
sushi, stir-fry, Korean ribs and kimchi, a
traditional Korean pickled dish made of
vegetables with varied seasonings. Toong
says dining services plans to roll out sliders,
satay, tamales and tapas this year. The flavorful foods are served on small plates and
in small portions, which is compatible with
trayless dining in the all-you-care-to-eat
program.
“We cook the foods in front of customers
so they know the ingredients are fresh,”
Toong said.
Hand-held foods with authentic ethnic
ingredients also are featured at University
of California Santa Cruz. Banana Joe’s
Quick Mart in Crown College features
Asian rice bowls to go for students in a hurry or in need of a late-night meal from 10
p.m. until 1 a.m. Merrill Dining Hall offers
authentic Mexican cuisine at Tacos Moreno.
In addition, a special event called “college
nights,” with themes such as Celtic festival
and New York soiree, offers students an
opportunity to sample new cuisines and
experience new cultures.
“There’s no end to the diversity we can
introduce by serving hand-held items with
lots of grains, vegetables and authentic
spices,” says Scott Berlin, director of dining
and hospitality services.
Variations on street food will be part of
the University of Missouri-Columbia’s new
student center, which will open in 2011. One
of the many platforms, or stations, in this
neighborhood-style foodservice concept, Do
Mundo’s Charascaria, will feature Por-
historic student union offers a few street
food selections, such as authentic fish tacos
on Fridays. More street food will be introduced at the new student union to be completed in 2012, said Carl Korz, foodservice
director at the union. Korz said menu items
will include foods from Indonesia, Malaysia,
Vietnam, India and, perhaps, Tibet.
Current UW-Madison students are familiar with street food. Within blocks of the
historic union, colorful carts with distinctive signage operated by local vendors fea-
■ UMass dining services plans to roll out sliders, satay,
tamales and tapas this year. The foods will be served on
small plates and in small portions.
tuguese barbecue. Smoked meats will be
covered with different types of rubs and
served with a selection of barbecue sauces.
Meats will be accompanied by sides such as
grilled corn on the cob, baked potatoes, corn
bread, green beans and fried pies.
“We’ll be offering hand-held, portable
foods throughout the new center,” said
Julaine Kiehn, R.D., director of Campus
Dining Services. “We’re always looking for
ways to minimize packaging to keep it
simple and easy to carry and recycle. I
admit we want it all.”
The University of Wisconsin-Madison’s
ture foods and beverages from East Africa,
Jamaica, Santa Fe, Indonesia, Japan, China
and Costa Rica.
“Students like to eat tapas-style foods
all day and for late-night snacks,” Korz said.
“They eat smaller portions more frequently.
People in other countries have been eating
this way for years.”
As street food captures the attention of
dining staffs and their customers, a new dimension of cultural diversity is permeating
college campuses. There’s no limit to the
creativity that is sure to appear in the
exploration of global flavors. ■
BY CAILIN BARRETT-BRESSACK
way as well as a complete reconstruction of four of them.
“Right now all of them are the same size, but two are
triple the value of the others,” Ellison said. “We’re custom
building these service plazas to the demographics and
value of their locations.”
Construction on the plazas is expected to begin in 2010
and be completed by 2013.
Areas USA said it made some changes in its brand partnerships for the turnpike project, including a switch from
Starbucks to Dunkin’ Donuts. It also replaced its gasoline
vendor. Those changes, Ellison said, were based on
several factors, including
the preferences of Florida
turnpike officials and research conducted by Areas
USA itself, which emphasized consumers’ desires local preferences.
The company employs what it calls a “Glocal” outlook —
globally expansive yet locally geared toward each market it
serves. Officials found, for example, that after conducting
an unofficial online poll, 70 percent of Florida Turnpike
users preferred Dunkin’ Donuts to Starbucks. Turnpike officials also requested that Areas USA provide “healthier and
more diverse” food options, which resulted in the inclusion
Areas USA secures deal
to run Fla. Turnpike plazas
MIAMI — Despite recent slower growth resulting from the
economic downturn, travel and hospitality contractor Areas
USA said it is revving up plans to become more of a national presence in the onsite foodservice industry.
The Miami-based contractor, a division of onsite foodservice provider Areas in Barcelona, recently inked a 30-year
deal to operate concessions along the Florida Turnpike that
would increase its presence not only in the state, but also
from its primary business at several airport locations.
Since 2006, the company has operated concessions at
such airports as Miami International, Orlando International,
Detroit Metropolitan, Indianapolis International, San Jose International, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, Boston
Logan International, Reagan National and Newark Liberty International.
Plans for the turnpike business are ambitious, according
to Valentina Ellison, a project manager in business development for Areas USA. The contract, which features a 10-year
extension option, is estimated at $180 million and includes
the renovation of eight service areas located along the road-
Areas USA is partnering
with Dunkin’ Donuts
at travel plazas along
the Florida Turnpike.
of such other chains as Nature’s Table, KFC, Earl of Sandwich, Jamba Juice, Taco Bell, Checkers, Long John Silver’s,
Cold Stone Creamery, Qdoba Mexican Grill, and Baskin
Robbins.
Though Ellison said the downturn in the economy has affected Areas USA’s business in airports, she claimed it has
“not affected our bottom line. We have been very smart
about growth. When the economy was doing well, a lot of
other companies were building on debt. Areas has zero debt.
We build everything on equity.”
She added that all of the contracts the company currently has are long-term, which make them less susceptible to short-term economic fluctuations. The main foreseeable difficulty for the company, she noted, is the lack of
available requests for proposals, or RFPs, for roadways and
airports. Proposals have become scarce, she said. A number of airports and port authorities are not issuing them
because they are afraid they will not receive the same
competitive financial offers they got when the economy
was stronger, she noted.
Still, Ellison said the company is continuing its push to
expand throughout the United States.
“We’re very interested in expanding in the U.S. because
we’re so big in Spain and Mexico already that we can’t
possibly grow [there],” Ellison said. “The U.S. is the one
country that’s on the horizon for us.” ■
