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As Director of Hospitality Services at The College of Wooster, Chuck Wagers is responsible for the entire food service operation on campus. He oversees the two main dining halls, Lowry Center and Kittredge Hall, as well as the campus bakery, Mom’s Truckstop grille and Woo-Mart convenience store, the Wooster Inn, and the Java Hut. He also manages all campus catering and has introduced a number of new dining options including the "no-fry zone" at Kittredge Hall, and the food court in Lowry Center.
Wagers came to Wooster in 1982 as an assistant foodservice manager. He had previously worked as a student employee at Wooster beginning in 1977. He attended Bowling Green State University where he studied interpersonal communications. Wagers specializes in many fields, including customer service, personnel management, catering, specialized menu planning, and new concept development. He is involved with a variety of organizations and groups including the National Association of College and University Food Services; the Ohio Department of Health Certified Food Service Operation; The College of Wooster Environmental Task Force; the National Exchange Club, and Wayne County Committee for Crippled Children and Adults. |
Satisfying the appetites of college students can be quite a challenge, but Chuck Wagers, director of hospitality services, and his staff do it every day at The College of Wooster. Over the years, much has changed in the way meals are prepared and served. Wagers looks at those changes and addresses other issues regarding student nutrition and eating habits. What are the biggest challenges in feeding 1,800 students three times per day? The answer would have to be labor. Almost anything can be done as long as you have enough labor to execute the tasks. Recently we renovated Lowry dining room into a food court style system. This change required more skilled labor to prepare foods per order to each customer’s specifications. Are students more or less health conscious than they were a decade ago? Yes. No longer are students viewed as a captive audience. Students today have much higher expectations than 20 years ago due to the fact that they are exposed to many different types of foods and cuisines. This increased exposure to different cuisines and preparations goes beyond students as witnessed by the number of people who tune into the Food Network. How have students received Wooster’s new food court? Very well. The food court has decreased the amount of time spent waiting in line, increased the amount of fresher food varieties available, and improved the overall ambiance of the Lowry dining room. What are some of the favorite foods of today’s college students? Students’ favorites include carved meats, such as turkey, beef, and pork spareribs; hot wraps, such as chicken Caesar and Texas BBQ; specialty pizzas, such as herb foccacia and mozzarella, tomato and basil; and authentic international dishes, such as kung pao pork, moo goo gai pan, chicken chengtu, and Indian tandoori chicken. And by the way, college students still love their burgers and fries! How do you anticipate and organize the process of ordering food? We have a computer software package that allows us to forecast our production needs based upon historical data. All of our recipes and menus are in this computer system, so once we have entered our actual food consumption for each meal served, taken our inventory and forecasted our upcoming needs, the computer prints out our purchase requirements, production requirements and recipes. The information is fairly accurate because we enter all of our food consumptions daily and inventory all of our ingredients weekly. This process allows us to keep minimal inventories, have just-in-time deliveries, and serve the freshest products. We can do this since we receive deliveries from our food supplier every day of the week except Sundays. What changes and new innovations in dining services can students expect in the next 5-10 years? Food varieties and choices will continue to expand as well as fresher and healthier options such as meat and dairy alternatives and organic foods. Students can expect more flexibility in their meal plan, more variety of foods, fresher options, and healthier food choices. Students can also look forward to, in the next 5-10 years, being able to use their meal plan dollars in more dining locations, which will provide more dining options and variety. They will also probably be able to use them during extended hours to provide late-night options. |
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