2012 Best Concept Award Winners

Food Management's Best Concept Awards competition is designed to shine a bright light on the innovative practices that often go unrecognized in onsite foodservice, a world of auxiliary departments and support services that receives little publicity unless something goes wrong.

Each year, we get scores of intriguing nominees, something that often by itself shows just how much innovative thinking is out there. We judge the entries on a variety of factors ranging from their creativity to their impact on a given program and their effectiveness in achieving targeted results. In the end, our editorial jury often has to make very tough decisions about which are the winners.

Ultimately, the Best Concept Awards are about the great, innovative, practical, think-outside-the-box ideas that allow onsite operators to manage foodservices more successfully and to better meet customer expectations.

Click through to learn more about this year's winners:

BEST OF SHOW: STANFORD UNIVERSITY
BEST CONVENIENCE RETAILING CONCEPT: NEW HAVEN (CT) PUBLIC SCHOOLS
BEST RENOVATION: YALE UNIVERSITY
BEST SPECIAL EVENT: OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER
BEST WELLNESS INITIATIVE: HALLMARK CARDS, INC.
BEST STATION CONCEPT: RESTAURANT ASSOCIATES
BEST MANAGEMENT COMPANY CONCEPT: SODEXO
BEST MENU: UCLA