College food.

[chefassassin2]

Ok here's the deal. I've been hired as a Sous-chef at a university to help revamp and update the menu for the main Student dining room, (or cafeteria if you wanna be a jerk about it). i have my own ideas, but I want some input from fellow escapists. Throw me your ideas for menu items. As a reference, we serve burgers, chicken strips, the normal deepfried items and the like. So, if you're college aged, remember what it's like to be in college, or eventually will be college aged, what would you like to eat??

Thank you ahead of time for your responses, I appreciate it.

 

[JRCB]

KRAFT DINNER!!!

Also, maybe pizza can have a type of the day-thing? Just to mix it up.

 

[NeedAUserName]

we serve burgers, chicken strips, the normal deepfried items and the like.

I honestly don't see the problem, if a university served only this I would go there no matter how bad the reputation was (assuming the food was good quality). Although seriously something like spaghetti bolognese, or a curry are good, as they are easy to mass produce and quite delicious.

 

[TwistedEllipses]

Stir-fry, faijtas, lasagne, stuff with cheese...hmm...I'm not a lot of help...

 

[Korial]

Pasta would be a nice addition.

 

[chefassassin2]

we serve burgers, chicken strips, the normal deepfried items and the like.

I honestly don't see the problem, if a university served only this I would go there no matter how bad the reputation was (assuming the food was good quality). Although seriously something like spaghetti bolognese, or a curry are good, as they are easy to mass produce and quite delicious.

Good call. See I have no problem with burgers, etc. But we serve the crap stuff. If it's better quality, I'm all over it.

 

[The_Chief]

mix it up. put in some spanish food that doesn't take a huge pot and old mexican womens to make. some easy to make pasta. or just sell cup noodles at reasonable prices.

 

[Aur0ra145]

Sell 30-packs of Keystone Light, with Kegs available for the weekends. You'll make a killing. Also, with that strategy down, it really doesn't matter how good the food is, as so long as the pictures of the food looks inviting on the menu.

 

[Futurehead]

I know it's university and everything but I'd still bear in mind that you'll need to have some low calorie "healthy" meals too for those who care, just a thought.

 

[chefassassin2]

Also since you will have to leave food out in sunlamps think long lasting, time is one of your enemies when it comes to working in a college kitchen because some foods will go cold even under the hottest of sun lamps and you cannot throw out the food because it is still "good". The best solution here is actually to make sure your staff does not get lazy and serve up a bunch of plates during the "dead zone", that time where there is only one or two students that come in for that hot meal. Have the employee serve them directly and not have them hand them a plate of cold food that was under a sunlamp.

Thanks for you input! That's what we're trying to eliminate, the dead zone and heatlamps. We're actually trying to implement more of a "station" type kitchen to try to eliminate the "Make it all and let it sit" mentality.

 

[StarStruckStrumpets]

Teriyaki Chicken on a sandwich...Om nom nom.

 

[chefassassin2]

EDIT: Wait I'm confused now. Are you a cafeteria where you give students food because they paid for the food with their dorm? Or are you a restaurant making food on demand for the student?

It's a cafeteria where students buy a meal plan, and swipe a card everytime they come in. I completely realize we're not a restaurant, but the way things have been run around here is ridiculous. The cooks have for too long made (for example), enough food at one time to last all through lunch, which means that the food sits in the warmers for three hours, while they sit in the office and read the paper or check their facebook. What I'm trying to do is make better, healthier, fresher foods more to order rather than let it sit and get nasty. I want the caf to be a place students want to go to eat, rather than feel they have to because they're forced to buy a meal plan. There's alot more I could say, sorry if it's confusing.

 

[pantsoffdanceoff]

A good salad would be nice, cold cuts, pizza.

 

[chefassassin2]

A good salad would be nice, cold cuts, pizza.

I have to admit, when I started, I was impressed by the extremely high quality of the salad bar. Everything else was suffering, but the salad bar is pretty epic.

 

[ThrobbingEgo]

Aw, I thought you were asking for a collage of food...

 

[Cpt_Oblivious]

Stir Fry!
Spag Bol!

Stuff like that.

 

[Trivun]

Panini's are always a great option, I'm at university and I live on those. Expnsive though to buy, sadly, but then again I reckon the School of Maths coffee shop must make huge profits from that since the School managed to afford to convert part of the School of Physics as an annexe this year, and have a brand new swanky main entrance too...

Also, try pasta. Lots of pasta. Staple food of the student

 

[Neonbob]

Meatball marinara! On subs! That would get you ultimate favor in the eyes of many students.
Also, strombolis are good if made correctly.
Good luck with the cooking!
And, to keep up my odd reputation: babies. Lots of babies as well.
*drools*