Reading Time: 4 minutes
Key Topics: Labor Solutions, Student Engagement, Program Innovation
Author: Sojo Alex, Executive Principal, Envision Strategies
Featured Interview: Peter Testory, Director of Dining and Culinary Services, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Watch the Full Video Interview Here
In an era where campus dining programs face unprecedented challenges, from labor shortages to changing student expectations, the University of Wisconsin-Madison stands out for its innovative, data-driven approach to transformation. Sharing insights with Envision Strategies' Executive Principal Sojo Alex, Peter Testory, Director of Dining and Culinary Services, unpacks how one of the nation's largest university dining operations is transforming for tomorrow.
Managing six dining facilities, multiple retail locations, and serving 8,900 meal plan holders within a 48,000-student campus would be complex enough. But add in post-pandemic labor challenges, rising costs, and evolving student needs, and you have what Testory calls "multiple layers of customers, and they all need something different and expect different types of service."
Setting the Stage: Scale and Scope
The University of Wisconsin-Madison's dining program operates within a sprawling urban campus, serving their vast amount of students through six all-you-care-to-eat facilities, multiple retail locations, and comprehensive central production facilities. The program's complexity extends from basic dining services to high-end catering, requiring sophisticated management approaches.
Key Scale Factors:
Six dining facilities plus retail operations
Central production including cook-chill and bakery facilities
Division-wide logistics management
Multiple service levels from basic dining to executive catering
Managing Modern Complexity
"We found ourselves hiring employees with less skill set than we have in the past for higher wages," Testory notes. This reality prompted a complete reimagining of their recruitment and training processes. "We've kind of really flipped the recruitment process completely," he explains. "In the past it was someone would come in, we would interview them, they would sell themselves as to why they should be hired. Now we have to sell ourselves. They're kind of interviewing us as to if they want to work here."
The program now focuses on "selling" their workplace, highlighting not just standard benefits but also emphasizing ancillary perks like cell phone discounts and rental car benefits. This extends to both full-time staff and student employees, with particular attention to creating positive first experiences. "We created a first day experience," Testory shares. "Their first day, they do a lot of kind of the required trainings, to take that off the hands of the units. They're busy providing meals. We give them tours, introduce them to everyone, really kind of work them into the program, into the team, and hopefully create a better first day instead of 'here you are, here's your new work area, now go make lunch.'"
The strategy has proven particularly effective with student employees. One unit that typically needs 200-300 student employees had dropped to just 75 at one point. To combat this, the program developed innovative engagement strategies. "When students started to come back," Testory explains, "we started to do more things. We would do ice cream socials, movie nights, had a barbecue to kind of welcome everyone to come together. Hopefully they can start to build relationships with their coworkers both while they're working with us and within the residence halls outside."
Operational Innovation Points:
Reimagined recruitment focusing on total benefits
Enhanced first-day experience program
Comprehensive student employee orientation
Team-building initiatives for student staff
Menu engineering to address cost pressures
Social integration activities
Peer relationship building opportunities
Building Transparency
In today's digital age, where information flows freely and students expect unprecedented levels of transparency, UW-Madison has embraced openness as a core operational value. Rather than viewing transparency as a challenge, they've transformed it into an opportunity for deeper community engagement and trust-building.
"We choose our products and manufacturing partners very intentionally," Testory shares. The program actively engages with stakeholders through multiple channels, from direct family involvement during move-in to regular student advisory board meetings. On their plans to make food waste data public, Testory emphasizes, "We care, we want to attack this behavior, we want to help change this behavior within our program and within our consumers."
Transparency Initiatives:
Direct stakeholder engagement programs
Student advisory board participation
Manufacturer partnerships and presentations
Public sharing of operational metrics
Commitment to sustainability transparency
Communication Evolution
As student communication preferences continue to shift and evolve, dining programs must adapt their messaging strategies to remain relevant and effective. UW-Madison's approach to this challenge demonstrates how traditional communication methods can be successfully blended with modern platforms to create meaningful connections.
"Twenty years ago, you weren't getting pictures put on Snapchat of your compost bins," Testory reflects, highlighting how social media has transformed program accountability. The program has developed sophisticated approaches to multi-generational communication, recently completing a comprehensive brand identity exercise.
Communication Strategies:
Multi-channel messaging approach
Brand identity development
Focus on addressing misconceptions
Regular student feedback integration
Social media engagement strategies
Innovation Focus
While many institutions chase the latest trends, UW-Madison has taken a more measured approach to innovation, focusing on solutions that genuinely enhance the student experience rather than simply implementing technology for technology's sake. This thoughtful strategy has allowed them to maintain service quality while advancing their operational capabilities.
"We're not trying to be better than X, Y, or Z," Testory explains. "We're just trying to be the best we can for our students." The program actively explores automation solutions while maintaining service quality, particularly during peak periods.
Innovation Guidelines:
Technology integration focused on service enhancement
Peak period optimization
Balance between efficiency and experience
Continuous program evolution
Openness to calculated risks
Looking Forward
"Being open to change and innovation is crucial," Testory concludes. "Not everything's going to be a success, and being open to failure as part of innovation is important... it's about being that open-mind thinker that's going to try something new."
Key Takeaways for Industry Leaders:
Invest in comprehensive staff development programs
Embrace transparency across operations
Develop multi-generational communication strategies
Balance innovation with service quality
Maintain focus on student needs while managing complexity
The UW-Madison experience offers a masterclass in modern dining program management. Through data-driven decision-making and a willingness to innovate, Testory and his team have created a responsive, student-centered operation that continues to evolve. "The beauty of the kind of work we do," Testory reflects, "is that in 10 years from now, I will have learned so much more than what I know right now because we will continue to change and evolve with our customer base." This commitment to continuous learning and adaptation, combined with a strong foundation in operational excellence and community engagement, positions UW-Madison's dining program not just to meet today's challenges, but to anticipate and shape tomorrow's solutions.