Ken Kozielski, the focus group moderator and a UD graduate who earned his MBA in 1998, said that the group was testing out a possible new campus hamburger concept. ARAMARK, which was responsible for bringing Bleecker Street Café to the UD campus, has been doing research all across the country to try and find out what kind of restaurants students want on their respective campuses.
The 10 a.m. taste test/focus group was the first of three sessions that were held throughout the day. The other two took place from 2-3 p.m., and 3:30-4:30 p.m. Approximately 11-12 students showed up for each, ranging from freshmen to seniors. The students had more than just burgers to choose from. They also could taste chicken tenders, french fries, a grilled chicken sandwich and a crispy chicken sandwich.
“Part of ARAMARK and ARAMARK's participation with campuses is to reinvent the campus for students,” Kozielski said. Even though they are focusing on serving students the type of food that they want, he said, the group is interested in “more than just their quality of food, it's about enhancing their life while they're here.”
Kozielski, along with ARAMARK's associate vice president of marketing for higher education, Karen Parker, explained that besides the type of food test/focus group they are doing here on campus, they also have been conducting research in on-line chat rooms and conducting national surveys with college students, in which 4,500 students participated. They conducted research on both the east and west coasts to determine whether there are any geographical differences in taste.
For more information about ARAMARK, visit [www.aramark.com].
Article by Adam Thomas
Photos by Duane Perry