The Pitiful Campus Dining Experience When I was a waiter at a local pizza place, the area manager would come once every two weeks and give the restaurant an inspection. He would observe us throughout the evening and, when the crowd calmed down, he would gather us around and give us our review. At the start of every debriefing, as he was called by the crew, the first words out of his mouth were always: "From the moment the customer walks through those doors, his dining experience begins. He will form an opinion in his lies about us." , and it's your job to make sure the opinion is good! If it's not, I'll know, and then you'll know too." Even though my experiences in that restaurant are a year behind, every time I eat. I always keep the customer's opinion in mind, especially when the customer is me. When in-state students eat at campus facilities, they form opinions about their dining experience just as any customer would, and whether that opinion is good or bad is the dining service's responsibility. I recently conducted a survey to determine the opinion of students about food service at State My goal was simply to see whether students were satisfied with the overall performance of Service America, the catering company that operates all of the food facilities on campus. I interviewed fifty students over one period of two days at different times and places. Everyone I interviewed ate at least occasionally at one of the refreshment points. The survey assessed aspects such as the variety, quality and taste of the food offered, as well as students' opinions on the prices paid and the overall service received. The ratings given initially were quite mediocre.......middle of the paper...it is known that it will fix them one way or another, and by solving student problems as best it can, Service America will ensure a good public opinion and will maintain his contract. This arrangement is a win-win for both parties involved, and since my findings have concluded that there is no widespread discontent with food service, there is no real justification for more radical procedures than I have suggested. Perhaps there is a state-level monopoly in the form of Service America, but it is a monopoly that is ultimately controlled by its protectors, who have the freedom and power to act on their opinions. The choice of action is in their hands. Sources Cited Goodman, Stephanie. "Dinner is served: at the mall." Adweek Marketing Week, July 24, 2013: 30-34. Loprete, Michael. Personal interview. February 26. 2014.