Emma Franklin
Hospitality and Event Management
The Rock Cafè
Ferris State University
1420 Knollview Drive, Big Rapids, MI 49307
(231) 591 - 2206
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HSMG 392 - Fall of 2020
Manager - Brenna Kelley
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Operations
a. About the Property
b. Work Environment
c. Marketing
d. Human Resources
e. Administration
f. Planning
2. Manager Interviews
3. Personal Assessment
4. Artifacts
Section 1
Operations
About the Property
The Rock Café is the main restaurant at Ferris State University located in Big Rapids, Michigan. This facility is open to students for meal plan usage and is also open to the public for dining. The Rock Café is the only restaurant of its size in Big Rapids, making it an ideal spot for parties, tours, group lunches, and family dining. Utilizing 448 guest chairs, one rental wing, and one private dining room, it is flexible enough to cater to most of Big Rapids’ needs. Connected to the restaurant is a small market that allows students to pick up basic groceries, convenience items, to-go meals, or even Mexican food from Big Brutus Tacos.
The Work Environment
The Rock Café is owned by Ferris State University and is one of two main dining facilities on campus. Ferris State is a public university with over 14,000 enrolled students. Compared to experiences with other jobs that I have worked, The Rock Café follows a more formal line of communication. Most employees know that they must follow the chain of command and that is respected throughout day-to-day operations. This is comparable to my experience at John Ball Zoo and with ESPN X-Games. All companies that I have worked for have respected the organizational chart and know that in order to keep workflow efficient they must follow the established communication lines throughout the chain of command. In terms of informal communication, I would say that The Rock Café differs from other experiences I have had. Most people within this establishment are friends, regardless of their position. It is not uncommon to see the Director eating lunch with a Food Service Employee or the Manager enjoying a fun conversation with a Student Supervisor. These different kinds of communication have formed the workplace into an efficient yet friendly and fun environment.
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During a typical school year, the workers seem satisfied and like they are enjoying their work, however, this year has been a struggle for all employees. Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic and the restrictions that have faced the University and restaurant industry, many workers have been stressed and frustrated. Facing labor cuts and shortened hours, there has been an increasing number of employees who have left the establishment or have voiced their frustrations with working at The Rock Café. Luckily, they are able to talk about their feelings, suggestions, and experiences with each other and management in order to help make the best out of this situation. The only problem that I tend to see with this particular group of employees would be the student group. Since this is a low-stress job with a very large number of employees (well over 100) there is an issue with lacking motivation and attendance. Almost every day there are student employees who decide not to come to work without notifying management at all. When on the job, many stand around and do not practice good customer service. While this is not the case with all student employees, it is with many which have caused a high student turnover rate.
Being an on-campus restaurant, the organizational structure of employees is fairly general and simple. View an example of an organizational chart for the Rock Café’s
dining area specifically here:
Marketing
Currently, the only guests who are allowed on the property are students/people with a student ID. This is due to COVID related restrictions that prohibit outside guests from entering the premises. Although this has greatly altered the overall experience of dining at the restaurant, it is appealing to the student population who does not have to share their space with the public anymore. The students like the number of options that they are given to choose from and the fact that they are still allowed to dine-in, which is not the case for other properties in Michigan. However, the students who are used to the old style of self-service have voiced that they would like that back. They are also disappointed with what options have been temporarily taken away, although there is still a lot to choose from. The most popular complaint is the lack of the Mongolian Barbecue Grill, which is a guest favorite. If this option was brought back, I believe that there would be a substantial decrease in student complaints.
The direct competitors with The Rock Café are Schubergs, Panera Bread, Qdoba, Applebee’s, and Ruby Tuesdays. These restaurants are all sit-down, and non-drive-thru options. They are also all comparable in price. However, none of the competitors are buffet-style. This gives The Rock Café a leg up on the competition because it is a low price point for an all you can eat experience. However, one major weakness of The Rock Café is that it does not allow carry-out service to guests (besides during the COVID-19 Pandemic.)
The Rock Café utilizes the Ferris State University Website and their Facebook page as their main forms of marketing. They also print posters and distribute them around campus. For the student and Big Rapids market, this has proven to be effective, although there is room for improvement in regards to frequency and professionalism of posts. The poster technique has proven to be the least effective form of marketing in my opinion, solely due to the overwhelming number of posters that are scattered around a college campus. The posters tend to get lost or looked over because there are too many other advertisements and informational notices surrounding it.
Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, I was not able to be involved in much of the pricing and advertisements for rentals and public dining. Since these activities were not allowed during my time as an intern, I have not experienced this at this specific facility. However, The Rock Café uses a meal-plan system for students that helps cover food and operational costs.
Human Resources
The Rock Café currently employs 28 Full-time staff (Director, Manager, Assistant Managers, Head Cooks, and Food Service Employees. They also employ 71 student employees. This is number is lower than what it typically is on a regular year, where there would be over 100 student employees alone. There are currently five Student Supervisors, one Office Assistant, four Assistant Managers, and one Manager. Typically, the Office Assistant, which is me, along with the managerial staff is in charge of recruiting, interviewing, and hiring all student employees. Brett Buchholz, an Assistant Manager, is in charge of developing and distributing the online food safety training program, and then Student Supervisors and Food Service Workers take over the on-the-job training. For student employees, there is not a lot of advancement that can be taken advantage of unless they decide to try and become a Student Supervisor. This job can be put on a resume but most students view this as a flexible way to earn extra cash, not as a strong professional development job. Luckily, I was able to become the Office Assistant in 2017, where I have been given many opportunities for advancement and professional development. When I graduate or move positions, this will be an excellent opportunity for another young professional to take advantage of.
All of The Rock Café’s management employees are between the ages of 30-60, are Caucasian, and are college-educated. They have also all had some sort of background or experience in Hospitality or Business Management. The hourly student employees earn minimum wage and can be bumped up to $9.80 as a student supervisor. There are no benefits offered to these hourly student employees but they are given a free meal every shift. They are also given the flexibility and closeness of an on-campus job.
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Management and Full-Time positions have shown a much lower turnover rate than the Student group with many of our employees being with The Rock Café or Ferris Dining for well over 10 years. However, student employment has a very high turnover rate due to either quitting, leaving Ferris State, or being fired. I believe that we have seen more motivation in the students who have had the opportunity to advance to the Supervisor position than anything else. They are given a small pay raise and are given responsibilities that require them to actively use their skills instead of a minimum wage job that doesn’t require as much thought. We have also seen more motivation during the semesters that we were able to hold special events and incorporate more training and rewards for students. Disciplinary action has not proven to be very successful in motivating students. Even though students know that there is an attendance policy, they do not seem to care about getting write-ups, having a permanent record, or facing the loss of their job. I personally believe that guest service could be improved by making the attendance policy more strict and implementing more involved training programs. If students have the ability to take actual food safety certifications, they will be more likely to try harder and will be able to take that certification with them after college. I also think that better rewards and more opportunities to advance would motivate students to not only be better employees but to give better service to the guests.
Operations and Administration
The majority of all maintenance, accounting, security, and housekeeping for The Rock Café is completed by Ferris State University’s employees. The Managers of the Rock must complete all work-orders online to be sent over to the Physical Plant. Once the work order is received they will send over their maintenance employees to do the job. Ferris State also employs its own sanitation, security, and janitorial services that The Rock Café uses. In terms of accounting, the Manager and Culinary Operations Manager, Steve Dorey, use the FoodPro system to account for all inventory, food costs, and purchasing. From my knowledge, the Rock Café owns some of the equipment such as the large blacktop grill used for Mongolian Barbecue and the ice cream machine. However, some of the equipment used in the restaurant, such as the Pepsi machines are owned by Pepsi.co. Pepsi sends its employees out to stock our machines and perform all maintenance on their specific products.
The Rock Café has implemented various Environmentally conscious programs. Recently, the restaurant got rid of all practice straws for dine-in use. The Rock also got rid of the old food trays in order to save energy and decrease the number of chemicals needed to clean them. Lastly, a pulper was installed to decrease all after consumption waste and decrease the amount of garbage that goes into landfills.
The Rock Café is making more strides towards becoming technologically friendly. Currently, they have an online menu that is updated daily, electronic payment methods, electronic scheduling for employees, electronic purchasing and food tracking programs, and electronic time-clocks. The restaurant currently uses paper display menus but is considering looking into digital display menus. These computer systems allow managers to have information about their sales and revenue almost instantaneously. It also allows them to communicate with employees in a paperless and efficient manner. The electronic time clock allows managers to catch employees who are lying about time and they can manage schedules with the click of a button. These benefits are outstanding, but it can be very inconvenient when the internet or websites are down. It has also proven to take some of the personal connections away from employees and managers. A manager can send an email to an employee, but the employee has the choice as to whether they actually want to read it or not. Miscommunications have also increased due to typographical errors, misrepresentations of tone, and misreading of the text.
Strategic Planning
Currently, The Rock Café’s main goal is to safely serve students as long as the campus remains open for them to do so. This means following all COVID safety procedures and making sure that all students who enter the facility are following them as well. In the future, there is a renovation planned for the facility. This new renovation will include an allergen free zone, personal pizza place, a larger breakfast facility, and more. This renovation was supposed to happen during the summer of 2020, but has now become a goal for the future.
This facility has stayed fairly consistent as long as it has been open and I do not see that changing much anytime soon. Management has noticed the desire for takeout options and also the desire for food alternatives from students. The need for gluten free, vegan, and allergen friendly alternatives is increasing and they much adapt their menu options in order to keep up. The new renovation has incorporated a plan for a glass-walled section that is separated from the rest of the food prep areas. This section will be free of all big-8 allergens and will have specially trained staff for that area. Not only will this keep up with the trend of alternative food needs, but it will also provide a safer environment for students with food allergies. These students tend to move off campus quicker than others as well, so it will serve as another incentive for on-campus housing.
Section 2
manager interviews
Dawn Thorne. Assistant Manager. 12/4/2020.
Q: What has been your career path up until your current position?
A: My career path has always been working at Ferris State University in Dining Services. I have recently changed my career path as a new opportunity opened for me to become a Food Service Director in assisted living.
Q: If you could change anything about your career path what would it be?
A: I wish I would have realized earlier that I am capable of more than I thought I was in my career field.
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Q: What do you enjoy the most about your position?
A: In my new position as a Food Service Director for an Assisted Living home, it is rewarding to visit the residents every day and give them a great experience through food.
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Q: What do you least enjoy?
A: In the workplace, I dislike negativity by certain people.
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Q: What are the biggest challenges you've faced in your position at The Rock and how did you overcome them?
A: My biggest challenge from The Rock Café was COVID because losing the public meant losing big profit, and it will be hard to come back from that in the coming years.
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Q: If you could give me one piece of advice as I enter into the business world, what would it be?
A: The best advice I could give you is don't wait for an opportunity. Whether it is big or small it is an experience to better yourself. Don't be afraid of failure because that's how we grow and do better.
Brenna Kelley. Manager. 12/4/2020.
Q: What has been your career path to your current position? (Where did you work/what did you do to get to your position now)
A: I started as an intern in the Hospitality program, working in the office, mostly FoodPro (the menu management system). I then stayed on in that position as a part-time person for 1 year. I then became a trainee, working in the kitchen for a short time, and when a management position came open, I took it. I worked in all of the dining units, including catering as an assistant manager. I took the position of Manager in 2019, which is where I currently am.
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Q: If you could change anything about your career path what would it be?
A: I wouldn’t change anything. All of the things that I have learned good or bad have helped me become the manager that I am today.
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Q: What do you enjoy the most about your position?
A: I enjoy the people, customers, students, full time. I have met a lot of people over the last 20years that have helped me grow.
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Q: What do you least enjoy?
A: Now, this is kind of contradicting to what I just said, but true. I don’t enjoy dealing with employee issues. There are always that select few that are never happy in their work, and it is a constant battle to get them to be more positive and work harmoniously with others.
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Q: What are the biggest challenges you've faced in your position at The Rock and how did you overcome them?
A: The Covid situation is definitely the most challenging situation I have dealt with at The Rock. It is a constant battle to keep, us safe and still serve our customers what they are expecting. I believe that we can come out of this strong, but it will also be a very big challenge to get back to where we were before this hit us.
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Q: If you could give me one piece of advice as I enter into the business world, what would it be?
A: Learn from everyone. Everyone is good at something, take what they have, and use it for your advantage. You can learn from even the mistakes.
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Section 3
Personal Assessment
Personal Analysis
This internship has taught me discipline in ways that I did not think were possible. I have learned how to be self-motivated and independent when it comes to my work and my schedule. When I was able to plan and execute events, I had to learn how to get things done early and not procrastinate like a younger version of myself would have. With the COVID Pandemic, I have had the opportunity to work remotely, which is an entirely different obstacle that I have had to learn how to overcome. Overall, this internship has forced me to grow as an individual, an employee, and a manager.
This internship was focused more on Food and Beverage/Business Management and it showed me how much I like to be on the managerial side of things. Although I am more confident than ever that my goal is to work in Event Management, this internship gave me experience that I think was a good stepping-stone into my career of choice. This internship taught me to be disciplined, reliable, and responsible. It gave me tastes of freedom while guiding me in the right direction. I was able to learn hiring skills, scheduling, event management, and food service techniques that are essential to my industry. In a perfect world, COVID would not have impacted my internship and I would have been able to plan more events for the University, and I think that would have been my only improvement. The circumstances of this semester reduced my hours and restricted me from doing everything that I wished I could have, however the past 3 years with The Rock Café have taught me more than I could have ever dreamed of.
SWOT Analysis
Strengths
- I have various experience in a variety of unique opportunities
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- Possesses multiple Hospitality related certifications which have educated me on best practices
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- I have experience in Event Management along with Event Competitions, which is unique and gives me a keen eye for detail
Opportunities
- A young college student with various internship opportunities to seek after
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- Art, design, and CAD classes to help with event design and floor plan organization
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- Hospitality certifications for event planning, management, and safety
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Weaknesses
- I have a difficult time saying no, which can lead me to be overwhelmed and busy
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- Although organized, can be very messy
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- Can be forgetful
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Threats
- Many Hospitality majors want to be Event Managers, specifically in the wedding department which makes for a lot of competition
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- COVID-19 Pandemic has threatened the Hospitality Industry greatly with an unsure ending insight
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- Not being able to say no can limit my opportunities because I am too busy
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Section 4
ARtifacts
Business Core
I have included 2 examples of work that I have done for some of my Business Core classes. The first example that I have published is my final marketing plan for Chewy.com from my Marketing 321 class. This project was a semester-long assignment where we were required to create an entire marketing analysis and strategy for a business of our choosing.
The second piece that I have chosen is my final writing from my Management 301 class. This piece demonstrates some of the points that I learned throughout the semester and how I can apply them moving forward.
Marketing Plan
Management Writing
Hospitality Management
In addition to some pieces from my Business Core work, I have also included 2 pieces from my Hospitality classes. I decided to include my final analysis of the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island from Convention Management 305, and a report on Hungary's foods and beverages from International Cuisines 226. These pieces give a small look into the diversity of the education that I am receiving at Ferris State University.
Grand Hotel Analysis
International Cuisines
The Rock Cafè Internship
From my time with the Rock Cafè, I have included two photos. One photo is from a design that I was able to do for our Luau event in 2019. This position not only pushed me in my professional skills but allowed me to use my creative ones as well. I also have included an example of a typical poster that I would create for advertising one of our meals. This example is for a pancake bar at the Mongolian Grill in the fall of 2020.
Personal Experience - Mascot Coordination
Mascot Coordination has given me unique experiences in schedule and athlete management. Included is an example of a day-of itinerary for a Marketing photoshoot.