Cafeteria Complaints: How Can We Improve Food Variety, Quality, and Quantity?

Dear Seniors,

Warm greetings to all! I am working in an MNC as an Administrator. We have a cafeteria where every day we receive numerous complaints regarding food variety, quality, and quantity. Could anyone please suggest how to address these issues?

Many thanks in advance!

I hope you have awarded the Cafeteria on Contract and the Contractor is solely running the show. Could you please provide details of the terms and conditions you have agreed upon with the contractor for running the cafeteria?

Are the food preparations being tasted by you or by a designated person to ensure quality? If so, tasting the food beforehand should prevent any quality issues.

Regarding the Quantity of Food

It is essential to create a price list specifying the quantity for items such as Tea (120 ml - Rs.5/-), Coffee (125 ml - Rs.7/-), and Samosa (75 gms/pc - Rs.5/-). Ensure that this list is approved by the GM or your Branch Head, keep a copy for your records, and display it in the Cafeteria.

The pricing can be determined based on the subsidy or subsidized materials you are providing to the cafeteria. It would be prudent to request the contractor's financial records, including purchases, wages, attendance records of canteen employees, and the contractor's profit. Additionally, consider providing free gas supply, water, electricity, rent-free canteen space with well-maintained cooking facilities, and a decent dining hall.

Regularly inspect the cafeteria at least twice a week to check for cleanliness. During these visits, you can also inquire with employees consuming the food about the quantity and quality. Address any issues promptly by providing clear instructions to the contractor or Cafeteria In Charge in their presence to prevent escalation to a complaint level.

Handle small issues with care to prevent them from escalating.

Regards

When we stop applying our minds, suggestions start pouring in from every corner. Each member, with good intentions of helping you out, will give ideas based on preconceived notions.

Engaging with Stakeholders

It is better to interact with stakeholders who are complaining and try to gather the real, genuine issues that are bothering them. And of course, when did you last sit with this poor canteen contractor like a friend? If not, do it immediately now before offering any advice. Know what his issues are? Try to match both amicably to find a mutually acceptable long-term solution.

When we stop applying our minds, suggestions start pouring in from every corner. Each member, with good intentions of helping you out, will give ideas based on preconceived notions.

Engage with Stakeholders

It is better to interact with stakeholders who are complaining and try to gather genuine issues that are bothering them. And of course, when was the last time you sat with this poor canteen contractor like a friend? If not, do it immediately before giving any sermons. Understand what his issues are. Try to match both amicably to find a mutually acceptable long-term solution.

We are only suggesting that they consider this aspect, not that the seeker has to follow our instructions.

Monitor Contractor Performance

Typically, contractors make excessive profits from the small cafeteria by neglecting the employees deployed by them and compromising the quality of food materials. That's why I suggested visiting the cafeteria twice a week to check the quantity and quality of food products, as well as the cleanliness. If the administrator maintains a food tasting register and if some managerial staff regularly taste the food and provide feedback, do you think such complaints will continue?

Our focus is on taking care of the employees, not the contractors. If the contractor is doing things correctly, there should be no issues. If any staff cause problems in the cafeteria, the cafeteria contractor should address them. If they do not address the issues, it indicates there are no problems.

I hope this clarifies why we are providing this response.

Regards

Appreciate your views, Mr. Bhaskar, on my concern! Here I would like to answer your queries:

• Yes, our cafeteria is run by a contract vendor (terms & conditions are infinite; in short, we can terminate the contract at any time in case of poor services).

• So far, we haven't started the practice of tasting food before it is served, but I am sure this will help us cope.

• We do take frequent rounds of the café during the day, and for feedback, we have placed a feedback box where people can provide their feedback, which we then work towards resolving.

Also, we are planning to form a food committee. Basically, it will be a mixed group of operational as well as support folks, so as to take joint decisions over any issues of the café. Please suggest how this sounds.

Best Regards,
Sandy

Please do not form any committee. If you do so, they will talk and make a big list, and they will make you run. So keep everything under your control. You can discuss with your management and implement the genuine feedback given by the employees. They may ask for some special dishes. If you provide them, they will complain that it is very costly. If the prepared food goes to waste, who will bear the loss? Please consider that aspect as well. We are here to implement the welfare of our employees and facilitate the contractor to deliver effective output within the available resources.

Food Tasting Register

Please create a Food Tasting Register. It should be sent daily to a designated section in charge as per your instruction, not on a routine basis. After tasting, the section head will write their remarks, and if any corrective action is needed, it will be carried out by the canteen authorities. Finally, you will review it, initial it, and close the issue.

People will be people. Food cannot be prepared to fancy everyone's will and wishes. On our part, we have to ensure that the food is hygienic and has a standard taste. Statements like "the contractor can be terminated any time" or "we will care only for my staff and not the contractor" are odd. We have to learn to earn people's trust, build up their confidence, support them to grow, and then take decisions. Also, one more important point: please learn to keep your staff in control as well. My experience of the last few years is that a food committee works better.

Jacob Jose

The food committee will work better when you have provided good infrastructure for the canteen, including the kitchen, dining hall, wash area, wash basin, adequate lighting arrangements, clean potable drinking water, and uniforms for the food handlers and cooks, along with materials at subsidized prices for food preparation. This setup is feasible in IT and manufacturing industries, but it may not be achievable in mines or construction industries where the majority of the workforce may be illiterate, making it challenging to implement such a food committee. In such cases, it falls upon the Industrial Relations/Administration department to ensure the quality and quantity of the food served by monitoring the canteen regularly.

Employees typically approach the concerned authorities when they encounter issues with the food served. If a significant number of employees raise complaints, it indicates a problem with the contractor, necessitating a thorough inspection of the system, food quality, quantity, cleanliness, and pricing to resolve the issue. It is essential to analyze the problem itself rather than blaming individuals.

I hope you understand my perspective and response.

Best regards