SWEET SUCCESS

Mayer says that the CSG has improved efficiency by centralizing preparation. “You had nine kitchens doing the same thing, everybody had to chop their onions,” he says. The centralized system has allowed HUDS to save money by rehiring fewer staff at the end of their nine-month contracts.

“With the money that we saved in labor, we could afford to pay for the CSG renovations in two years instead of three,” he says.

This allowed HUDS to get out of the kitchen and examine customer satisfaction.

“Once we had achieved efficiency there we hired an outside firm to interview students and find out what they wanted,” Mayer says. HUDS incorporated the results into its dining offerings, and continues to survey students twice a year to seek recommendations for further improvements.

While outsiders attempted to determine student preferences, Mayer consulted his insiders. “We really needed to work with our staff,” he says. “We went on a retreat about where to take dining services, to determine our mission statement.” Mayer says he talked to House Masters, senior tutors and administrators to get a sense of how they envisioned HUDS.

Most representatives of residential life say they think dining facilities play an integral role in forging a sense of community within the House.

“The dining hall is one place where students can really relax,” Dunster House Master Anne Porter says as she sits down to a leisurely Sunday brunch. “Students talk and they work and there’s food and there’s nothing like food for sparking good conversation.”

--—Staff writer Wendy D. Widman can be reached at widman@fas.harvard.edu.