Food Management's 2011 Best Concept Awards: Honorable Mention

OPERATOR: UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AT AMHERST

CONCEPT: SOUTHWEST DELIVERY EXPRESS

THE BIG IDEA: Southwest Delivery Express is a sustainable food delivery program that competes for late-night business with local restaurants. It offers pizza and wings, plus sides and beverages and uses social media options like Twitter and web access to order..

OPERATOR: MAZZONE HOSPITALITY

CONCEPT: THE FOUNDRY

THE BIG IDEA: The Foundry is an 8,000-sq.ft. temporary dining facility for up to 2,000 workers engaged in constructing a major manufacturing complex for Globalfoundries in Malta, NY. The diverse, sophisticated menu is served in extremely tight time windows in which hundreds of customers can get in and out in an average of six minutes.

OPERATOR: UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

CONCEPT: GLUTEN FREE PROGRAM

THE BIG IDEA: UNH's gluten-free dining service represents a major commitment to serving students who suffer from gluten intolerance, with gluten-free stations at all three dining halls, an online meal-order system and a dedicated phone line for gluten-free meal requests. The school reports that as a result, a number of students and parents have indicated that they chose UNH specifically for its attention to this condition.

OPERATOR: EMORY-ADVENTIST HOSPITAL

CONCEPT: VEGAN WEEK

THE BIG IDEA: Imagine a cafeteria that offers no meat, eggs or dairy for almost a week. Well, Emory Adventist did so during March National Nutrition Month in order to send a healthful eating message and “mix things up on the menu.” Recipes were solicited from staff and careful preparation was made to source specialty ingredients, at a minimal cot of only $180. In the end, there was no decline in cafeteria sales for the week, but a lot of buzz and greater knowledge of vegan cookery.

OPERATOR: LEUTNER COMMONS

CONCEPT: CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY

THE BIG IDEA: This $7.5 million renovation of CWRU's main residential dining hall was designed both to provide a needed update and to showcase foodservice provider Bon Appetit Mgt. Co.'s “Farm to Fork” platform of fresh and sustainable fare. As a result, meal plan participation increased 3% and operating costs like utilities, food and labor have been lowered.

IT'S NOT TOO EARLY to nominate your concept for a 2012 Best Concept Award. For info and a nomination form, go to the FM home page at http://food-management.com and click on the button at the top of the page, next to the Food Management logo.