College and universities provide a wide range of challenges for dining service and food service professionals. From managing multiple types of campus operations to competing with off campus options, college and university foodservice operators are tasked with increasing student participation while staying within budget. But these aren't the only challenges.
Whether it's Charlottesville, Virginia or College Park, Maryland or even the campus of Georgetown in Washington, D.C., every campus has a wide variety of considerations. Foodservice operations on a campus can range from c-stores to cafeterias. Staffing can be difficult. Planning and inventory are hard to maintain. And there are always safety standards, which are closely tied to warewashing and dish sanitation.
A Look at How Warewashing Was Improved on One of America's Biggest Campuses
The University of Minnesota has the sixth-largest main campus population in the United States. With more than 50,000 students, there are numerous dining facilities and foodservice operations on the St. Paul campus. In fact, there are more than a dozen dishwashing machines alone.
In 2013, the university installed their first MEIKO M-iQ flight type conveyors, predicted to save almost $4,000 a year when compared to competing equipment of similar size. Here's what Contract Manager Nelson Hard had to say:
"Energy savings is a campus-wide focus for the university. When it comes time to replace machines, efficiency is our main goal. MEIKO has really impressed me. We put a bid out to MEIKO and one other manufacturer, and after comparing the energy savings, our engineers determined the MEIKO machine would payback its price differential in about a year – not counting the continued savings of detergent, water and sewage, which would make the savings add up even faster.
We installed the M-iQ flight type conveyor in our 17th Avenue residence hall. I like the machine’s adjustable belt speeds and especially the manual cleaning parts that are clearly marked in blue. Since the curtains can only be hung in the correct place, the staff can’t mistakenly put them back in the wrong spot, which happens often on our non-MEIKO machines.
I like that M-iQ saves water and energy, which is great from a budgetary standpoint. But, I love the environmental savings. Any machine that needs water to fully function needs to be using it conservatively."
A Brief Look at MEIKO Benefits
- Save Water
- Save Energy
- Quieter
- Reduced Ambient Temperature
- Use Less Cleaning Supplies
- And More
Find out more about the benefits of MEIKO.
Read the Guide to Warewashing, and find out how your college or university can benefit from this innovative warewashing technology.
