Liberty University - Partnership Report

Partnership Report A Look Into How Sodexo Is Working For You

Liberty University

Fall 2017

Table Of Contents Executive Leadership Notes

pg.4

Daily Meal Ranking

pg.6

In The Community

pg.10

Christmas Cheer

pg.12

Helping Humanity

pg.14

On-Campus Efforts

pg.16

Health & Wellness

pg.18

Technology & Dining

pg.20

Sourcing Locally

pg.22

Anthony Delligatti, District Manager Each semester I reflect on what Duke and his team have accomplished on the Liberty campus, and it continues to amaze me. Liberty continues to be recognized by many organizations for the outstanding dining programs that are offered. Most recently, Lynchburg Business Magazine recognized Liberty Dining by Sodexo with the 2017 Community IMPACT Appreciation Award for our commitments to several community service efforts. We also had the distinct honor to be featured on a German television station that averages 1 million views per episode. The focus of the video was to compare different collegiate dining programs across the world, and our campus was chosen over the University of California, Berkley. In addition to these, there are more great stories to be told. As you read the Partnership Report for the fall semester, you will see how Liberty’s support has enabled us to bring new offers and innovations to the university.

Duke Davis, General Manager Fall 2017 brought many new exciting dining platforms to our residential dining program.

We introduced three new dining platforms in the Food Court at Reber-Thomas, which have been a huge hit among our students. The new platforms are made-to-order sushi, fried chicken, and made-to-order pasta, where the pasta is made fresh daily. In other terms of improvement to the dining hall, we purchased new plates and cups to refresh our look. Our improvements and changes did not rest all in residential dining. Our retail business saw a few changes this fall as well. The biggest change was the renovation of Chick-Fil-A Express to a full-service unit. After only a few months, we doubled our sales versus this time last year.

Bella Trattoria introduced “Bocadillo’s,” which are artisan sandwiches from Spain. For our students with gluten allergies, we introduced the GIO (Gluten Intolerance Options) Program. This program allows our students with gluten allergies the ability to use their swipes on gluten-free options across campus. This initiative has made a positive impact on student life. Kayla, one of the students in the program, explained, “being a part of the GIO program has been life-changing! I cannot even begin to explain how helpful it has been for me. Not only has it provided me with delicious gluten-free items, it has allowed me to feel NORMAL.”

4

5

Daily Meal How Liberty Achieved the Ranking of #3 Best College Food in America In the Fall ‘17, The Daily Meal ranked Liberty the #3 Best College for Food in America. The ranking marks Liberty’s first appearance on this list, which is compiled after considering dining at 2,000 schools. Liberty was chosen because of our focus on purchasing local foods, sourcing meats raised using humane practices, providing well-balanced meals (including vegan, gluten-free, and allergen-free options), and focusing on the environment by using Eco-Products. “To be ranked third is a great honor for our university, especially considering we really haven’t even been mentioned in this specific ranking. It’s always great when outside sources recognize what our dining program has become over the past few years. Our hard work and our commitment to our students to become one of the top dining programs in the country is paying off, and it is great to see that others are starting to take notice of it,” says Vice President of Auxiliary Services Louis Cambeletta. Accomplishments like this one recognize Liberty's efforts to become a leader in college dining and food innovation, and we look forward to continuing to push boundaries in 2018.

6

7

8

9

In The Community Serving Others to Promote the Liberty Legacy During November, the Liberty Dining team accepted their first ever nomination in the Lynchburg Community IMPACT Awards.

This award recognizes local businesses for their dedication and hard work to build a better Lynchburg for all. Liberty Dining was recognized for service such as assisting in United Way's Day of Caring, partnering with local high schools to provide culinary training for students, collaborating with charities like Miriam's House and Lynchburg Daily Bread, and supporting multiple food drives. We are helping to promote the Liberty name by investing in the community.

10

Donating Turkeys For The Holidays Also in the month of November, we joined forces with the Lynchburg Sheriff ’s Office to provide turkeys to families in need during the Thanksgiving holiday.

“I am thankful for the assistance that Sodexo at Liberty University has provided the past two years by donating turkeys for the ‘We Share Because We Care’ program from the Lynchburg Sheriff's Office," said Lynchburg Sheriff Don Sloan. The turkeys donated by Sodexo were prepared by RA Bistro and delivered to 20 families by members of the Sheriff's Office. The effort provided not only food for families, but also helped to build community support and lend a hand to those in need.

11

12

Christmas Cheer Annual Liberty Craft Fair Brings Community Together

The 4th annual Liberty Craft Fair took place on December 9th and had a tremendous turn out from students and the community. The Liberty Craft Fair started with one idea in mind --- bringing students and local residents together to promote community service and good will. Since the beginning of this marketplace, it has always been a place of community building. All funds received from vendors are donated to the Lynchburg Daily Bread, and we also take monetary donations and nonperishable food donations to The Daily Bread. Our 2016 donation made up 10% of the charity's yearly budget and helps them continue their work in the community. This wouldn’t be made possible without Liberty’s immense generosity in hosting this fair. “Daily Bread is so grateful for the generous support of Sodexo and the Liberty Craft Fair each year. This wonderful event raises several thousand dollars, which provides critical operational support, as we work to feed the homeless and hungry, every day of the year,” said Daily Bread Executive Director Tracey Dixon. At the Craft Fair, guests can expect items such as home décor, candles and oils, knitted goods, apparel, homemade furniture, and food trucks.

13

Helping Humanity How a Simple Partnership Can Go a Long Way

In the Fall 2015, Allison Pettit, coordinator for the Liberty Habitat For Humanity Chapter, was enjoying a Liberty football game when she noticed students were working in the concessions booth. Intrigued by this, she quickly started calling her contacts to see how more students could get involved working concessions for an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others. She soon got the contact information for Todd Reynolds, our concession’s manager, and these two quickly formed a partnership for helping raise funds for the chapter she oversees. “The partnership between the Liberty Habitat For Humanity Club and Sodexo is honestly an answer to prayer! Sodexo has been an instrumental part of our fundraising, and we wouldn’t be building without their help.” The games that the Habitat students work, a percentage of proceeds go directly toward helping them fund their next build. In Spring 2016, they were able to build their first home with the proceeds from Sodexo totaling around 40-50% of the entire project. “The money raised is going toward homes for local families that want to better their situation and most of them become first-time homeowners,” says Pettit.

The club is projecting that their second house will be built in the Spring 2018, and Sodexo plans to continue this partnership for years to come.

14

15

16

On-Campus Developing Fun Environments In Dining Services

Each semester, we take a look at how we are engaging students and how we can continually improve on that front. This fall semester, we truly brought some new and exciting events for the students to enjoy. Our largest fall event, the Manager Cook-Off, featured 5 teams made up of all Sodexo managers. These managers battled it out for votes from students in three categories: Best Overall, Best Taste, & Best Presentation. This year’s theme was Music Throughout the Ages, featuring music from "Grease" and Michael Jackson among others. The students truly had a blast exploring and tasting the offerings from the teams.

Another Fall favorite is our Thanksgiving Dinner. The community -oriented event is a chance for students to reflect on the year and laugh about the good times with friends. This year’s event featured a “Thankful” board and various holiday-themed games to keep the student’s involved and engaged.

Other events that took place this fall featured our first ever wing-eating contest, Christmas Dinner, Montview Produce Stand, and a retro, video game night complete with vintage arcade-style machines for the students to play.

17

Health & Wellness By: Rachel Sanders, MPH, RD In the past semester, we’ve seen a lot of ideas come to fruition on campus related to the health and wellness of our students. First, the Gluten Intolerant Options (GIO) Program now has over 100 participants. Student feedback on the project includes themes like appreciation, inclusion, excitement, and confidence in Liberty Dining’s food handling ability.

We have devoted a significant amount of time and effort to offer a GIO meal at 20 of the 23 retail locations, train staff on avoiding cross-contact, and evaluating the program’s overall effectiveness.

Second, we are continuing work on the 21 commitments of the Partnership for a Healthier America. This agreement, in collaboration with Live Healthy Liberty, allows Liberty to become a premier school for its focus on health and wellness opportunities. Currently, we are working on implementing more lowcalorie desserts in the dining hall, limit fried food options, and put together specific “wellness-focused” meals at specially chosen dining platforms.

Thank you for the opportunity to serve, and we look forward to what 2018 will bring.

18

19

Technology & Dining How Innovation & Dining Go Hand-in-Hand

Let’s face it, 2017 is dominated by the power of the internet.

Moving forward, digital expansion will continue to be more in demand, and users will start expecting more businesses to integrate technology to make their lives easier. Sodexo is actively working on ways to stay ahead of the curve by implementing new tools for students and staff to enjoy in their day-to-day. Last year, we partnered with the LU Today app to showcase menus for the Food Court at Reber-Thomas and Fresh Market in Tilley. Coming in 2018, we are working on rolling out all menus on the app. Each dining location will now be listed with menus and hours. The hours component shown on the app shows peak and slow times, so guests will know ahead of time when a location is busy and when it is slow. In addition to this, we have also started ramping up our loyalty app, QBOT. When guests spend money at specific locations, they can rack up points, which can be redeemed for free items. The larger the collection of points, the larger the redemption will be.

One other component of upgrading a digital experience is having a cohesive website. Liberty University is one of 20 universities to test Sodexo’s brand new website platform. This new site offers an upgraded user experience and is visually beautiful, which is in line with a current shift toward visual-rich imagery and content.

20

21

Sourcing Locally Montview Produce Stand Attracts Localvores

While the Fall 2017 semester saw a long list of new additions to campus, one that certainly can’t go unmentioned is the Montview Produce Stand. An initiative that was heavily worked on for months by Sodexo’s management team saw a huge impact on campus quality of life. This stand, opened monthly outside Argo Tea, allowed students and staff to purchase items such as freshly picked vegetables and homemade jams, jellies, salsa, artisan bread, and ciders. In previous years, Sodexo hosted the Liberty Farmer’s Market near Doc’s Diner. While the market would certainly garner a lot of foot traffic, centralizing a produce stand in the heart of campus really improved the efforts of providing locally grown food and items to students. This partnership was struck with Cavalier Produce, who currently supply most of, if not all, the local produce on campus at a given time. Cavalier Produce only purchases from farms within a 50-mile radius, and they have built solid relationships with local farms, ensuring they purchase the best quality vegetables and fruits. The fall semester produce stand was so popular that we added extra dates to the spring version.

22

23