The fourth Student Cafeteria Management Committee meeting took place on September 24, 2024, at the Central Library of Kyung Hee University (KHU) Global Campus. Nine members from various groups attended, including representatives from the Global Campus’ General Affairs Team (GAT), General Student Association: the Running, faculty, graduate schools, staff, and also Riaeni La Matinee, the company providing meals in the cafeterias on the campus. KHU media outlets, The University Life, Daehakjubo, and Voice of University of Global Campus, attended as well. The meeting primarily focused on the cafeteria evaluation plan, with Riaeni La Matinee and the GAT presenting their progress on this issue.

Details of the Cafeteria Evaluation Process

Riaeni La Matinee has established separate contracts for each cafeteria on Global Campus. Among these, the contract for the Student Center's cafeteria was signed with the GAT, which will be up for renewal this November based on the cafeteria evaluation results. These results will be decided from a user satisfaction survey and a committee review.

The user satisfaction survey evaluates three criteria: service quality, meal quality, and hygiene, using a 5-point scale where with 1 as the lowest and 5 as the highest. Additionally, users are required to rate their overall satisfaction on a scale of 1 to 10. The survey is scheduled to take place from October 10 to 18 and is only open to cafeteria visitors. For the cafeteria visitors to participate in the survey, a quick response code and a daily password will be available at the Student Center’s cafeteria.

The user satisfaction schedule

For the committee review, the committee members are required to complete a survey based on three criteria: management improvement, quality improvement, and user satisfaction. They will rate each aspect on a scale of 1 to 10. The review period ends on October 30.

According to the agreement between the GAT and Riaeni La Matinee, the contract will be extended if the total evaluation score exceeds 70. The user survey score accounts for 70% of the total, while the committee's score makes up the remaining 30%. The contract stipulates that a minimum of 200 user survey responses should be considered a meaningful sample, as the average number of daily cafeteria visitors is 800. If the survey does not receive 200 responses by October 18, the survey period will be extended by one week. However, there will be no further extensions beyond this additional week, even if the target number of responses is not reached.

Example of cafeteria evaluation

The Survey Has Greater Importance

The GAT explained the importance of the survey, stating, "Unlike past surveys, this one serves as an interim check. We hope more people will participate so we can make decisions based on substantial data." The user satisfaction survey has been conducted each semester, but it has never reached 200 responses. A total of 113, 172, and 147 participants were recorded in the first semester of 2023, the second semester of 2023, and the first semester of 2024, respectively. Both the GAT and Riaeni La Matinee are hoping to achieve the target this time.

To increase participation, the GAT plans to offer rewards such as coffee coupons. Other members of the committee have also committed to encouraging KHU stakeholders to complete the survey. The GAT announced, "Staff from the GAT and the Running will be present at the cafeteria to encourage users to take the survey." Additionally, the faculty representative, Kim Tae-hyung from the Graduate School of Technology Management, said he would share information about the survey in the online faculty community he is involved with.

September Operations Update and Future Plans by Riaeni La Matinee and the GAT

Following the evaluation, Riaeni La Matinee presented its September operations and future plans. During September, they focused on enhancing the dining experience through various events, such as offering international cuisine, customer-chosen menus, and branded items like bingsu. For October, they plan to continue providing special meals while also improving other aspects of service. This includes setting up a self-serving area to reduce food distribution time and installing barcode scanners at kiosks.

Following Riaeni La Matinee's presentation, the GAT reported on their recent work. According to their report, they invested 450,000 won in September to replace eight tables and 32 chairs. Additionally, they addressed the follow-up measures for the foreign substance issue that occurred in August. After the incident, they requested the Dept. of Industrial Environment of Giheung-gu's District Office to investigate the origin of the substance. However, the source could not be determined. Due to the lack of conclusive evidence, the GAT issued a warning to Riaeni La Matinee without any disadvantages, urging them to pay more attention to hygiene standards.

As the contract extension period approaches, all committee members are actively preparing their evaluations. To make an informed decision, it is essential for KHU stakeholders to show interest and actively participate in the process. This engagement will help enhance the campus dining experience.