Bio Box
J. Michael Floyd
Residence: Watkinsville, GA. Education: B.S. in education, M.B.A., both from Valdosta State University Enrollment: 31,000 Annual Budget: $15.5 million Family: Married 23 years to Susan; two teen-age sons Favorite food: Anything shared with friends |
J. Michael Floyd was on his way to becoming a history teacher when, during his senior year of college, he realized what he really loved: his part-time job in the cafeteria.
And so, at age 23 - armed with a bachelor's degree in education - Floyd accepted a position at his alma mater. Valdosta State University in Georgia, becoming one of the youngest college foodservice directors in the country.
"I think the light kind of turned on for me, and I realized this is really what I like doing," I am an educator, teaching students about food and supporting them in their education."
In 1986, after seven years at Valdosta, Floyd arrived at the University of Georgia in Athens, where today he oversees14 foodservice outlets serving 28,000 meals per day in what is considered one of the most successful voluntary college meal plan programs in the country.
That success recently brought Floyd one of the industry's highest honors" the 2002 Silver Plate, awarded by the International Food Manufacturers Association. Floyd says it's a tribute to his dedicated team of 600 employees.
"This is one of the ultimate compliments we can receive," he acknowledges. "But we have to remember that we are only as good as the food we serve today to our customers."
When Floyd arrived at UGA, the administration was considering abolishing its seven-day meal plan. Within a few years, Floyd turned things around and, in the years since, has increased participation by more than 350 percent.
Current participation stands at a whopping 96 percent among residential students, and many living off campus have signed up for the meal plan as well. Floyd has most likely met all 5,763 of them at some point. At his annual "Meet the Department Day," Floyd shakes hands with everyone who shows up at the three main dining halls. He has a daily goal of speaking with at least 20 customers, and he personally answers all customer comment cards. "To me, one of the most important jobs I have is to communicate and meet my customers," says Floyd, 47. "That immediatly creates a connection. it says, 'Hey, this guy cares about me'."
Floyd attributes his department's success to its quality products, wide variety and excellent customer service. But it's clear that Floyd's marketing genius has played a starring role as well. The department's slogan - "Let the Big Dawg Eat" - appears on a wide range of promotional materials, including bumper stickets, table tents, poster-size foodservice calendars and the department's Web site, www.uga.edu/foodserv. A "Dare to Compare" chart on the site shows how the seven-day, all-ou-can-eat meal plan, at $2,222 per year, stacks up against pricier plans at other schools.
"We have to constantly tell our story because we have new customers coming in each year." he said. And Floyd doesn't mind reminding them of the department's long list of accolades, displaying framed awards in each of the dining halls. In fact, a few weeks before the Silver Plate awards banquet in Chicago, UGA's dining halls celebrated with their own "Silver Plate Reception," complete with sparkling white grape juice, salmon mousse and Asian ginger karaage chicken.
In addition to a steady stream of theme winners, Floyd is always willing to try something new - whether it's validating parking for late-night customers or using biometric technoloty (which reads a student's hand image) to allow unlimited dining hall access. "To me, one of the hallmarks of success is being different from other people," he says.
Then there are the tried-and-true programs, such as Eating Smart, which offers low-fat menu items as well as dietitian-taught classes; and Gift-O-Grams, which creates and delivers gift baskets for students celebrating birthdays or slogging through finals. The popular Taste of Home program solicits favorite recipes from students' families and then features over 100 of those dishes on "home cooking day."
The "Big Dawg" theme is one thing that Floyd hopes will never change. Nearly every campus eatery name plays along: There's Bone Appetit, Dawg Bites, Bulldog Cafe and Dawg Bone (at the College of Veterinary Medicine).
But what does it all mean?
"It means providing a great variety of food for your customers," Floyd says. "Let the Big Dawg eat - and let him eat all he wants. He IS the Big Dawg - he pays my salary!"