Week 6 at KU

            It has been quite a week here at KU! Jam packed with supervisory experiences and a farm tour! We put in long days with the supervisors and learned the responsibilities of the supervisory role. It was a very informative week, learning a lot about what the front and back of the house supervisors do on a daily basis.

            I began my week with the Front of the House Supervisor Sam Norman. I learned about schedule writing, checking on employees, and checking the quality of the food out on the line. This experience was a great learning experience because I learned what it means to be a supervisor. Sam truly stressed the importance of team work in an establishment as big as Mrs. E's. I learned that people respond best to working toward a team goal, and by using words such as Mrs. E's, we, us. By cultivating a team environment, everyone is willing to work in an efficient manner to accomplish what is needed.

            Bri and I also were able to talk with Keith Lake, Manager of The Market, which is a retail location in The Union. We learned all about retail dining; the importance of easy to read menus, product pricing, and limited time offers. Wednesday was a fun field trip day! We visited a farm in Rich Hill Missouri, traveling with Sysco and Capital City Produce. The farm we visited was run by a Mennonite family, who supplies Capital City Produce. We learned how they farm, and create large production outputs and their farming procedures. Then a huge storm hit, so one of the farmers and his family graciously opened their home to us, and fed us lunch. After lunch, we visited a local shop where their produce and other jarred items were sold. This farm tour showed not only where the produce comes from, and how the labor is done. This was a family operation, and how the farms are passed down among the family.

            Thursday was another day of supervisor experience, this time I shadowed with Morning Back of the House Supervisor, Brian Lane. This time I learned what the morning responsibilities, including turning on equipment, writing schedules, and things of that nature. His management type was about making sure that the employees enjoy the environment in which they work, but are still accomplishing what needs to be done. Friday, we walked over to North College Café, which is located in another resident hall. This is a smaller operations, as it feeds less students during the school year. They were cooking for a smaller group of adults, so needless to say, it was much more calm in the kitchen, but still hectic! This weekend Bri and I also had the opportunity to gain supervisory experience both for the brunch and dinner shifts in the back and front of the house. The weekends differed greatly from week day service, as the amount of customers drastically dropped.

            Our special event dinner is quickly approaching! We are tying up loose ends, and working hard to finish everything on time. Time to start getting excited! Sorry there are no pictures this week, I will definitely add some next week!