SodexoMagic is leaning heavily on students to drive the look and feel of its latest concept, Thrive.
“At its core, Thrive was built to keep in mind our responsibility to deliver on all of our students’ needs,” says Sodexo at School Senior Marketing Manager Bricen Tate.
About three years in the making, the concept launched as a pilot in Washington, D.C., this spring. Above all, it aims to engage students and give them a way to have more control over their school dining experience.
Acting on students’ wishes
During its primary planning stages for Thrive, SodexoMagic held numerous student focus groups to get deeper insight into what students wanted when they stepped into the cafeteria. (The company is a joint endeavor from contracting giant Sodexo and Magic Food Provisions, a foodservice provider owned by former NBA star Magic Johnson.)
The groups revealed that students were seeking more culturally relevant dishes, enhanced flavor profiles, a higher degree of customization and a warm, welcoming environment.
To meet these demands, the team set out to create a menu that would better reflect the student body it was serving. They compiled data, conducted taste tests and traveled to local restaurants to get a closer look at what students were choosing to eat outside of school.
“We were inspired by the diverse communities that we have an opportunity to serve,” says Tate. “Thrive takes into account the food that our families eat while they're at home and on the go.”
The food management company also worked with global chefs to make sure the dishes they would be serving were authentic. The concept's Southeast Asian recipes, for example, were developed and tested by chefs from Southeast Asia.
As a result, Thrive’s launch menu is filled with an array of culturally diverse items, including Jerk Chicken Quesadillas, Camaroon Rice and Beans, and Chicken Étouffée.
A pilot that never ends
Overall, the pilot has been met positively by students, and SodexoMagic is constantly receiving feedback and making tweaks to the program as needed.
“For example, our Brazilian steak sandwich, we found out was too dry,” says Tate. “So, we're going back to the menu, meeting with our culinary team and saying, ‘Hey, listen, this is the feedback that we're getting from our students.’”
To make communicating feedback even easier in the future, the company is looking at ways to automate and enhance the process, such as allowing students to send thoughts and suggestions via text.
The pilot has no set end date. Instead, SodexoMagic is treating Thrive as a constant pilot and will keep evolving the program to students’ needs as time goes on.
Outside of Washington, D.C., there are plans to expand the program to almost 200 additional schools this fall. While there is a lot to be done between now and then, says Tate, the expansion will allow the team to push its customization abilities even further as it works to offer students a personalized experience, no matter where they are located.
“That information will let us find even more ways to customize the program to make it as unique as the communities that we will have the opportunity to serve,” he says.