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Each day at Leonard Dining Hall, produce arrives, is washed and prepared, soups are made and delicious selections of meat are cooked and sliced.

On a typical day up to 3,000 meals are served at this location.

It’s one of three dining halls at Queen’s University that, along with 19 retail outlets such as Tim Hortons, Market Street Cafe and KHAO, helps feed the Queen’s community.

It’s a never-ending cycle and the effort is massive. Food comes in and food goes out. Add to that the clean-up as well.

And it’s all under the umbrella of Hospitality Services.

It’s more than just cooking. Students these days are more aware when it comes to food and there is a broad range of dietary needs and preferences such as vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free, as well as for religious or cultural reasons.

It all adds up to a tall order.

“It’s not only the volume, it’s the audience. So with that diversity, even between students, staff and faculty, the requirements are vast to say the least,” says Jennifer Pete, Associate Director Housing and Ancillary Services. “Then the volume – managing that is something that I am astounded by every day. But I think one of the advantages is that scratch cooking allows for amendments to be made on a regular basis.”

That’s something a lot of people don’t realize – the food being served is prepared by Red Seal Chefs.

“It’s difficult to dispel the myth about pre-fab food because it is a common belief across university dining halls and institutional food service operations as a whole,” says Alison Beach, Manager of Hospitality Services. “Ingredients are purchased in bulk, certainly, but the meals are still homemade, and prepared from scratch each day. At the Canadian Grilling Company, even the ketchup is made in-house.”

There’s also a lot of preparation work before the food enters the kitchens and the university’s chefs and staff get to work.

The first step is to carefully plan out menus for dining halls and custom retail outlets like Gord’s Café and the Lazy Scholar.

“The decision-making process through Hospitality Services is a team effort,” Ms. Beach says. “We work in consultation with our contractors, and a food committee that meets once a month.  There is representation from the AMS, SGPS, ResSoc, staff and faculty, and a hospitality ombudsperson who is the voice of the student body.” 

The food service contractors are an important part of the process. They are the ones managing the dining halls and retail outlets. However, the revenues generated stay with the university.

“All the revenues that are generated through Hospitality Services are realized by Queen’s, not our food service contractors,” Ms. Beach explains. “Our main contractor operates on a management fee basis, which means that Queen’s pays them a management fee to operate the food service facilities. The university makes the final decisions, and a portion of the revenue earned supports campus programs that positively impact student life. “

Another big part of the Hospitality Services picture is fostering the feeling of community amongst the Queen’s population. After all, dining halls are the primary gathering places at Queen’s. There are themes such as Carnival where typical food found at the fair is served along with taste changers and a chef’s table every two weeks where new ideas are introduced and students can interact with the chefs.

“I think that sense of building community is important to us for students as well as staff and faculty,” Ms. Pete says. “So the programming we do in the dining halls is also available to staff and faculty through our $5 Fridays and the summer barbecues. It gives people the opportunity to get out of the office and have a bit of social time together.  Hospitality Services also partners with the campus community on initiatives such as the weekly Farmers’ Market, and annual events including the Principal’s Holiday Reception and Athletics and Recreation’s Health and Wellness Fair.” 

It doesn’t stop at the end of the meal or at the campus borders either.  Hospitality Services supports the Soul Food program which is a student initiative that delivers excess food from the dining halls to those in need at five local shelters.

Along with the dining halls there is a wide array of menu choices available that some people may not be aware of. As Ms. Beach points out, students generally establish a dining pattern at the beginning of the school year, while staff and faculty typically dine based on convenience.

To broaden awareness, they have taken to social media to highlight dining options as well as the special programs.

“We’re always looking to encourage our campus community members to try out the dining halls or new retail outlets, such as the gluten-free products at the Fast Lane in the Medical Building or the excellent Pad Thai at KHAO,” Ms. Pete says. “Try something different this week – and let us know what you think.”