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The Quality of Food in the Johnson Dining Hall of York College of

Pennsylvania: A Recommendation Report

Prepared for: Professor Samuel Waddell


Prepared by: Lacey Gof
April 13, 2015

Table of Contents
Executive
Summary..1
Introduction..
.2
Research
Methods.4
Task 1. Survey the students to figure out if it is an actual problem and collect
data4
Task 2. Research into other dining options that other colleges and
universities use/provide...5
Task 3. Compare data and prepare this recommendation

report...6

Results...
7
Task 1. Survey the students to figure out if it is an actual problem and collect
data7
Task 2. Research into other dining options that other colleges and
universities use/provide...8
Task 3. Compare data

Conclusions...
11
Student
Attitudes...11
Recommendation
...12
References.
.13
Appendix A:
Survey..14
List of Illustrations
Figure 1.1 Percentage of Students Unhappy with Food
Quality.8
Figure 1.2 Johnson as Main Meal
Source9
Figure 1.3 West Dining Hall
Comparison.10
1

Executive Summary
As a York College of Pennsylvania residential student, I hear many diferent

complaint about the school and the schools services. Out of all of the

complaints, I noticed that most of them were about the food provided by

Chartwells Dining Services served in the Johnson Dining Hall and West

Campus Community Center Commissary. For most of the residential

students, Johnson Dining Hall is the main source of food for breakfast, lunch

and dinner. Most of the students eat at the dining hall at least once a day

(residential) or at least twice a week. Some of the main issues with the food

stated in a survey of 54 York College students would be:

Undercooked or under-flavored
No selection
Upsets the students stomachs
Cold when served
Too dry or too greasy

After asking for the students to identify the problems with the food, I asked

for any potential fixes of those problems. Many students could not give any

real solution to the problems, which means that the problems are not too

widely negative to the school community or the students are not aware of

any solutions available to them. Others suggested solutions such as:

Using the students of other culinary schools (Yorktowne Business


Institute, yorkchef.com, etc)
Monitor the cooking process more thoroughly
Serve the food that is more well liked
Choose a diferent dining service than Chartwells
2

Focus on quality over quantity

Food is an important part of the students life at York College of

Pennsylvania. A change in the dining service would keep the students

healthy, with less sickness, and happy. Happier students would do better in

classes and raise the colleges student success rates.

Introduction

On March 16, 2015, Professor Samuel Waddell assigned his Writing in

Professional Cultures class to explore diferent problems in York College of

Pennsylvania. After choosing one problem, the students were to write a

recommendation report outlining the problem and coming up with a possible

solution. The three main informational and communicative actions:

1. It identifies a problem or area of potential improvement.


2. It provides research concerning existing best practices that concern

the problem. (criteria and researching options)


3. It draws conclusions and forms recommendations based on those

conclusions.

As a York College of Pennsylvania residential student, I hear many diferent

complaint about the school and the schools services. Out of all of the

complaints, I noticed that most of them were about the food provided by

Chartwells Dining Services served in the Johnson Dining Hall and West

Campus Community Center Commissary. For most of the residential

students, Johnson Dining Hall is the main source of food for breakfast, lunch

and dinner. 52% of the York College student population live on-campus and
3

48% living of-campus. Most of the students eat at the dining hall at least

once a day (residential) or at least twice a week, the main meals being lunch

and dinner (35.85%). For the students, it is important to have a steady

source of meals to keep them well fed. Eating well keeps better health and

therefore a better performance in school. A lack of healthy food will afect a

students overall performance in everything he or she does.

I conducted a survey of 54 students at York College of Pennsylvania. The

students all expressed that the quality of the food being served was less

than satisfactory. Many issues that were pointed out were that the food was

often cold, undercooked, under-flavored, had very little variety or selection,

too dry or too greasy and upset the students stomachs after eating. The

students were then asked to come up with solutions that they thought were

possible to fix or improve these problems. The common response was that

they thought the Johnson Dining Hall staf could spend more time on the

food, paying attention to the quality over the quantity of it.

In comparison, I did research into the dining services of nearby schools and

universities, such as Stevenson University, Towson University and Penn State

University. I compared the diferent options and services that their schools

provided with that of York College and Chartwells Dining Service. A common

finding was that other colleges and universities ofered a wider variety of

dining options inside and outside of the main dining hall. There are less limits

on what a student can eat on any given day. Even Shippensburg University

and Towson University, two colleges that use Chartwells Dining Services,
4

ofers more variety than York College. This may be due to the size of the York

College campus and not the dining service itself.

Research Methods

To acquire the information that Professor Waddell required for the report, I

broke the project into three tasks:

1. Survey the students to figure out if it is an actual problem and collect

data
2. Research into other dining options that other colleges and universities

use/provide
3. Compare the data and prepare this recommendation report

The following tasks are outlined and described in the following discussion.

Task 1. Survey the students to figure out if it is an actual problem

and collect data.

In order to make sure that the quality of the food in the Johnson Dining Hall is

an actual problem, I created a survey via surveymonkey.com. The survey was

nine questions long and focused primarily on the students individual

opinions on the quality of the food. It asked questions that had the students

consider the quality of the food, such as:

1. Do you enjoy the quality of food in Johnson Dining Hall?


2. Name two problems that you have seen with the food.
3. How often do you eat in Johnson Dining Hall?
4. What are some solutions to the problems you found?
5

The questions were designed to make students think harder about the food

they are putting into their bodies, rather than just if they like it or not. Taste

is important, but so is the health factor. The questions varied from free

response, which gave more detail, to yes or no questions, which gave solid

data. Both were helpful because they provided insight into how the students

felt individually as well as if they all feel similarly about the quality of the

foods in Johnson.

Task 2. Research into other dining options that other colleges and

universities use/provide.

I had to look into the dining services that other colleges and universities

used in order to compare how Chartwells options appeared to be. The first

school I researched was Towson University. Towson also uses the Chartwells

Dining Services, however they ofer eighteen diferent dining venues on their

campus. York College of Pennsylvania only ofers five on-campus venues, not

counting Parma Pizza and Grill. These options are the all-you-can-eat dining

halls Johnson and West, Sparts Den, Appell Caf and Pura Vida Caf. The

diversity is lacking, but that may be because of the size of the campus. York

College is a small college with limited space. Towson even ofers diferent

commercial fast food places such as Chik-fil-a and Starbucks. Stevenson

University uses a dining service called Sodexo. It ofers ten diferent

selections for food, some of them catering to specific needs, such as health

foods. Penn State University, which has a much larger campus, has over

thirty-five options to choose from. The size of the campus is taken into
6

account, but the variation is great, from Asian food places to Mexican

options. Shippensburg University is a big university that uses Chartwells

Dining Service, but ofers other options in the dining areas, like Papa Johns.

I think that York College would benefit from allowing other options like Papa

Johns or Chik-fil-a exist on the campus. Students would be willing to pay for

the food because it is something they know and like. The variety would allow

students to feel less stuck with their options. It creates a sense of choice. In

the surveys, many students, when asked if theyd rather eat somewhere

besides Johnson, responded with answers like Chipotle, Panera, Pizza Hut or

anywhere else. It is a safe assumption that most students are not happy with

the selection that Chartwells Dining Services provides for them.

Task 3. Compare data and prepare this recommendation report

According to the York College of Pennsylvania dining services website, 75%

of the York College students dont eat the suggested five or more servings of

fruits and vegetables per day. This is just one of the many statistics that the

Cartwells Dining Service site provides. 78% of students would choose a high

fat option over a low fat option. The website suggests that time poverty

changes a students eating habits dramatically:

o 25% eat 6 meal occasions

o 26% eat 2 meals and 2 snacks

o 24% eat 3 meals

o 25% eat 3 meals and 2 snacks


7

These statistics are why the school ofers the standard 225 Meal Plan Block

(15 meals/week) to all first year students and students who live in dorm

buildings. Students who live in apartment buildings that come with a fully

equipped kitchen have the options between the 225 Meal Plan, the Unlimited

+ $100 Dining Points, 225 Advantage + $125 Dining Points, 165 Advantage

+ $275 Dining Points, 125 Block + $75 Dining Points, 75 Block + $50 Dining

Points or the 50 Block + $30 Dining Points. The first number is the amount of

swipes a student can use in either the Johnson or West Dining Halls and the

dining points can be used at the three other, smaller options. The prices of

the meals plan vary, with the most expensive of the plans being $2,845 and

the cheapest plan being $565. These plans are designed to cater to a variety

of the students needs, giving them a wide range of options.

Results

In this section, I present the results of my research. It contains the most

important data that will have to do with the recommendation.

Task 1. Survey the students to figure out if it is an actual problem

and collect data

The surveys were designed to be simple and easy to answer. 55.77% of

those who answered the survey said that they did not enjoy the food

selection in Johnson (shown in Fig. 1.1 below). 66.04% of the students who
8

answered the survey called the food quality neutral. 13.21% said the quality

was bad, 3.77% said very bad and 16.98% claimed that the food quality was

good. No one said it was very good. Most students said that the food was one

of the following:

1. Too cold when served


2. Too undercooked or under-flavored
3. Too dry or greasy
4. Not diverse

There were also complaints about the fact that students felt upset stomachs

after eating in the dining hall. All of these things are problematic for a

students health. Unhealthy students are less likely to attend their classes

and may fall behind on their work. Students with poor health are also less

motivated to work hard in classes and spend more time in bed than out in

the school community. Continuous problems with the dining hall food may

also discourage students from eating there and it is important to eat

throughout the day or it could lead to weakness, low mental stimulation and

other risks. A students health should be there first priority and the college

should aim to make sure that they do not contribute to poor health. One of

the questions asked the students to come up with their own solutions to the

problems with the food. The common response was that they thought the

Johnson Dining Hall staf could spend more time on the food, paying

attention to the quality over the quantity of it.


9

Fig. 1.1 Percentage of Students Unhappy with the Food Quality

Task 2. Research into other dining options that other colleges and

universities use/provide

Overall in the diferent universities that I looked into, most of them had

similar, if not the same dining services, but their selection was much wider

and ranged outside of that particular dining service. All of the students

taking the survey said they would rather eat anywhere else besides Johnson

Dining Hall, even if they had to pay more money for their food. Many

students would rather make their own food in a kitchen rather than eat the

Johnson Dining Hall food. Out of the five options that York College has to

ofer, the smaller on-campus dining options, such as Sparts Den, are more

popular with the students than the actual all you care to eat dining halls.
10

Task 3. Compare data

Despite these statistics, the student population doesnt seem to favor the

Chartwells Dining Service. The aim of the service was to better the statistics

and make sure that the students eat better and healthily. The students that

answered my survey, however, expressed that they didnt think the food was

that good. There wasnt much comment on fruit, but the vegetables were

complained about as being undercooked, overcooked or not properly

seasoned.

Figure 1.2 Johnson as Main Meal Source

Out of the 54 students in my survey, not many of them ate more than one

meal a day in Johnson, as seen above in Figure 1.2. 55.77% said that Johnson

was not their main source of meals, so they do not rely solely on the food

there to feed them. However, 63.83% of the students said that the West

Dining Hall had the same problems as Johnson, as seen in Figure 1.3.
11

Figure 1.3 West Dining Hall Comparison

Chartwells has made eforts to correct the issues with the students issues

with eating here at York College, but their eforts have not seemed to make

much of a diference.

Conclusions

In this section, I present my conclusions based on the research related to the

quality of the food in Johnson Dining Hall.

Student Attitudes

The students seem to be in the neutral to unhappy state of mind about the

quality of food in Johnson Dining Hall. There were many problems indicated

with the food, however, the students did not seem to want to provide helpful

insights on how to improve these problems. Their attitudes remained

uninterested in changing the quality of food in Johnson, despite it directly


12

afecting them. The students seem to expect that the problems will be fixed

by the school in time, but do not feel the need to jump in right now and

correct the problems. Only 54 students answered the survey, despite it being

sent out to over 100 students. This lack of response alone in an indicator that

the students do not see this problem as something they need to contribute

to in order to fix it.

Overall, I think that my conclusion would be that the students of York College

of Pennsylvania recognize that there is a problem with the food. However,

most of them do not know how fix it or do not feel the need to involve

themselves in the process of fixing it.

Recommendation

I recommend that York College of Pennsylvania keep using Chartwells Dining

Services and just try to focus on the quality over quantity of food. Based on

the size of the campus, it is not feasible to put in any more facility options.

Space is not something that can be controlled by the school board and York

is a naturally small college. York College is also a private college, so the

budget is not big enough to focus on the food. There have been no serious

problems caused by the food and students, despite complaining, still eat at

the dining locations that they are given. No real change is an option at the

current moment.

References
13

Dining Services - Towson University." Dining Services - Towson University.

Chartwells, n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2015.

http://www.towson.edu/adminfinance/auxservices/dining/

"Dine On Campus" Ship Dining. Chartwells, n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2015. From

http://www.dineoncampus.com/ship/

"Stevenson Dining Services." Sodexo My Way. Sodexo, n.d. Web. 12 Apr.

2015. From https://stevenson.sodexomyway.com/

Food Services. Food Services University Park Residential Dining. Penn State

University, n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2015. From http://www.foodservices.psu.edu/

Sustainability. York College of Pennsylvania Dine On Campus. Chartwells,

n.d. Web. 12 Apr. 2015. From http://www.dineoncampus.com/ycp/show.cfm?

cmd=sustainability

Appendix A: Student Survey

This is the survey I distributed to 54 York College of Pennsylvania students. It

has nine questions altogether. Some of the students may or may not have

skipped questions when taking the survey. The questions that include [ ]

after them represent a text box, open-ended answer that the student could

come up with themselves.

Student Survey

1. How often do you eat in Johnson Dining Hall?


[]
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2. What meals do you eat in Johnson?


-Breakfast
-Lunch
-Dinner
-All of the above
-Lunch and Dinner
-Breakfast and Lunch
-Other

3. Is Johnson your main source of meals?


-Yes
-No

4. Do you enjoy the food selection in Johnson?


-Yes
-No

5. Rate the quality of the food in Johnson.


-Very Good
-Good
-Neutral
-Bad
-Very Bad

6 If you had the choice, would you eat somewhere besides Johnson? If so,
where?
[]

7. Name 1-2 problems that you notice with the food.


[]

8. Do you have any suggestions for fixing those problems?


[]

9. Does West Dining Hall have the same problems?


-Yes
-No
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