This week on Profs Plate, we interviewed Josh Stokem, a former employee at Gourmet Dining. Here is the conversation we had about his experience working on campus, the food, and the services offered at Rowan University.

Tell our viewers a little about yourself.

My names is Josh Stokem. I am from Haskell, NJ but I currently reside as a
resident in Glassboro. I am a Lakeland Regional High School Alumni, Class
of 2016 and a Rowan University Alumni, Class of 2018 with a Bachelor’s of
Science in Marketing. I am 21 years old and have striven to do whatever it
takes to have a better future for myself. I am the youngest of 4 siblings
growing up in a single parent household.

How did you start working for Gourmet Dining?

I started working with Gourmet Dining Services back in Spring 2017. I was
actually attending an SGA meeting for DECA, which I’m not sure whether or
not an active organization on campus anymore is, and the RDM, Resident
District Manager, Elizabeth Jordan, had asked the group of students if they
knew of anyone that was interested in a part time office job, and I
immediately jumped to the occasion. I was 18 at the time and had a lot of
prior experience with secretarial work since I had worked in a law firm
since I was 17 doing basic office tasks. I was soon offered the position as a
“Data Analyst” and worked directly in Holly Pointe doing simple filing,
organization, and inventory tasks. I soon was recognized for my hard work
and was asked if I was interested in doing Marketing, which was what I was
going for school for, so I took the opportunity and flourished within the
company.

How long did you work for Gourmet Dining? What are some of the positions you have held?

I worked at Gourmet Dining Services from February 2017 until later
December 2018, a little shy of 2 years. I went from Data Analyst, to
Marketing Administrator, and remained the title of Marketing Administrator
but was very shortly given managerial responsibilities, along with
managerial hours and availability.

What is your favorite meal on campus?

Since I was an employee for Gourmet Dining, I was able to eat for free at all
food locations campus wide so I was able to try everything. Personally, I
will always have a soft spot for the Bacon Chicken Ranch pizza at Holly
Pointe, Glassworks Eatery, but for a meal from the Student Center, I would
say that I tend to go to the “Pop-Up” station quite often.

Where did the idea of Tapingo come from?

The idea of Tapingo was first brought to our attention when we were going for
the Rider University Bid and we had saw what technology they were using
that was most convenient for students. Our generation of Students live on
our phones, so why not make it the way of ordering food! There was so
much success with Tapingo at Montclair State University, which at the time was the same Food Vendor as Rider University, so we decided to adapt to the
mobile usage after looking at the pros and cons.

What is the general consensus among Gourmet Dining employees about Tapingo?

Gourmet Dining employees are not too thrilled about the Tapingo app
because they feel as though they have lost the personal connection they
would gain with customers as they were waiting in line for their meals, now
they wait around until their food is ready, grab and go. Unfortunately, as a
student and an employee I was able to see both sides of the spectrum. I
loved the quick aspect and the reasoning behind Tapingo, but I also loved
seeing my friends while at work and being able to catch up with each other
since I had such a tight schedule.

What do you think Rowan does well with its food services offered on campus?

Believe it or not, I love the variety that Rowan offers when it comes to the
food offered on campus. For most of us, it is hard to understand that we
live on a college campus and we can not expect to have 5-star restaurant
quality food. Gourmet Dining is also not funded by Rowan University, so
when students claim “why pay tuition for this” it simply does not make
sense because that money is not going to the Food Vendor, regardless if
Gourmet Dining was here or Aramark (just another food vendor). Rowan
has Gluten free options, Vegan friendly, a personal dietitian, and so much
more! They try to bring a flavor of culture every now and then, and do listen
to students, students just don’t reach out appropriately in my opinion.

Where do you feel improvements need to be made on Rowan’s food services?

I feel like my personal improvements are more on the managerial to
employee side then the student side. The one thing I do think that Gourmet
Dining needs to improve on is their reputation on campus. There needs to
be a stronger connection with the student body because ultimately, the
success for a food vendor on a college campus is to listen to your
audience, your students, not to listen to the “we have always done it this
way.” Change is key.

Thank you Josh for your sharing your experiences and insightful commentary on the food services offered at Rowan University!

Also, thanks to our viewers for checking out the blog this week. Good luck to all of our viewers preparing for finals this week. Next week will be our final farewell post from us to end the semester.