What's on Floyd's Plate?
Students: 32,000-plus; 5,710 residential
Daily customers: 28,000
Full-Time Employees: 200
Annual Budget: $15.5 million
Foodservice Outlets: 14
By Patricia Sheehan
Food Management Magazine
May 2002
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What's on Floyd's Plate? Students: 32,000-plus; 5,710 residential Daily customers: 28,000 Full-Time Employees: 200 Annual Budget: $15.5 million Foodservice Outlets: 14 |
On the wall of Mike Floyd's office, there's a large poster of a hiker, stretching himself on the rustic frame that marks the end of the Appalachian Trial in Maine. It reads:"The End of the Journey."
For Floyd, an avid hiker and long time Scout leader, the end of the trail is clearly not yet in site, but he just as clearly is a man who knows he's on a mission.
Like a revival preacher or politician on the campaign trail, he is passionate in his quest to tell the University of Georgia foodservice story, and, it goes without saying, to convert those non-believers who might still believe in the old time "religion" characterized by mystery meat, vegetable medley and Jello squares. He is mad for marketing; in fact, his colleagues refer to him as "Mr. Marketer." The bumper sticker on his car sums up his sell:"Let the Big Dawg Eat!"
The reward for this boundless drive and determination: a highly successful campus dining program and recognition this year with the coveted Silver Plate award in the category for colleges and universities.
Not surprisingly, Floyd is hardly shy about accepting the award. "Everyone here knows we're a Silver Plate winner, and we'll tell that as part of our story over and over again," he says. "Don't hide your light under a bushel!" Indeed, it was that same spirit and drive that helped him build University of Georgia's successful program in the first place.
Like many foodservice professionals in the college segment, Floyd was lured into the business as a college freshman at Valdosta State College in Georgia, looking to make some spending money. He quickly worked his way up the ranks of student managers, but the epiphany that led him to make it a career came during a summer internship as a prison chaplain: "I always had my eye on the kitchen," he says.
Back at school senior year, Valdosta's foodservice director recognized Floyd's passion for foodservice and encouraged him to seriously consider a career in the industry. "It just clicked for me," he says. "I truly enjoy being with college students and feeding them. I feel like I'm an educator myself, teaching students about new food items and providing their nutritional nourishment so they can succeed in their educational endeavors."
Following a 2-1/2 year year stint at Morrison food services post-graduation, Floyd was invited back to Valdosta to become foodservice director, at the tender age of 23.
In his 16 years at the University of Georgia, Floyd has become known for his creative menu concepts, ambitious nutrition awareness efforts and cutting-edge operational methods.
The most compelling evidence of Floyd's success can be seen in the participation numbers for UG's voluntary meal plan: last fall, 5,710 students lived on campus and 5,763 students participated in the meal plan. Since 1986, Floyd has increased the meal plan participation rate by over 350%.
And then there are the accolades. During his tenure at UGA, Floyd's department has receivced 41 Loyal E. Horton menu awards, bringing Floyd's career total to 50. UGA Food Services recently scored the highest in customer satisfaction in the Carnegie Class of Universities, which reviews 29 universities of similar size, and was recognized by the Princeton Review as one of the nation's top 20 college foodservice programs.
To keep dining units up-to-date, Floyd renovates on a regular basis. In the last five years he has renovated three dining halls, a student union food court and six grab-n-go eateries. Over the next five years he plans to build two new dining centers for the new 5,000-bed residence halls. UGA Food Services also refreshes its retail operations yearly to artrtact new customers. The result: cash sales growth of over 300% since 1997.
Constant customer communications is a hallmark of Floyd's style. His commitment to "meet and greet" and shake hands with each of his 5,800 customers in the first week of school lets customers know he cares.
With all this success, where does Floyd go from here? "Professionally, the Silver Plate was a goal for me and we've attained it. One goal is for my UGA team to earn 50 Horton awards.
"The next goal addresses expansion of our services. How can we do something new to excite our customers? What's everyone else doing and how can we do it differently to make us stand out?"
Floyd refuses to let all the flattery and attention distract him from his mission. "My job is not guaranteed tomorrow. We're only as good as what we've done today."