How Boeing's FSD is making the right choices for diners

At a Glance

Margaret  "Meg" Clark
Food Service Administrator
Boeing
Seattle

9 percent—The increase in purchases of healthy-eating food items under Boeing's Well Being Initiative

60,000-plus—Boeing customer base served

1986—The year that Clark began working for Boeing

Accomplishments

Under the guidance of Margaret “Meg” Clark, it’s easier for more than 60,000 Boeing employees to eat healthier. And as a result, the response is soaring.

The approaches are simple: Condiment bars are stocked with low-fat mayonnaise and salad dressings; ground beef went from an 80:20 to 90:10 lean-to-fat ratio; water instead of soda receives eye-level positioning at fountain-drink stations; and white bread buns are a request-only item.

But the changes, part of Boeing’s internal Well Being initiative, are impactful. Between 17 and 20 percent of customers are selecting the more healthful items, up from 9 percent, according to Terre Martinez, senior manager of food, commuter, discount and banking services at Boeing.

Clark, whose charge includes the aerospace company’s northwest region—stretching from Everett, Wash., to Portland, Ore.—is responsible for much of that success, Martinez says. “Without Meg’s leadership, we couldn’t have accomplished what we’ve accomplished as a team,” Martinez says. “She really helped make sure that we had the right requirements. This was a massive effort.”

Clark’s decades of experience at Boeing—she’s been with the company since 1986—meant she knew exactly where to turn when the company implemented its Well Being program in 2013, gathering opinions from food suppliers, regional directors and culinary leaders to establish requirements and goals. Some facilities were turned into well-being cafes, with fryers and full-calorie baked goods removed, and salad bar items now are prepared at a centralized kitchen to ensure consistency.

“People may not realize that they’re eating a healthier item, [though] we do get the occasional, ‘You can’t tell me what to eat,’” Clark says, adding those comments have decreased. “People are making better choices.”

Bringing it together

While today, her foodservice relationships are well-established, Clark started her Boeing career in accounts payable. She later transitioned to facilities and then made the move to food services after a manager asked her to be part of his team. “He said, ‘Come with me. It’ll be an experience,’” Clark says. “It has been a ride. It is different every day.”

Though food wasn’t a part of Clark’s initial journey at Boeing, it always has been a central point in her life, so there was little to no learning curve, she recalls. “I’ve always been a cook. I love to cook,” Clark says. “I definitely got my love of cooking from my parents.”

It also helps that her approach to work is to find creative solutions to problems by collaborating with others.

Clark has been a key leader in creating a more precise long-range business plan for the company. Before 2013, each of Boeing’s foodservice regions managed their own budgets. In January of 2015, they all came together under one foodservice budget. In this transition, Clark helped to take inventory of all of the foodservice equipment, rank its condition and put each item on a five-year replacement plan. This step was necessary after the inventory revealed that more than 80 percent of the foodservice equipment in Boeing’s kitchens was in poor condition.

A view of the future

Implementing metrics into Boeing’s foodservice operations was important to ensure better planning—especially under the health-and-wellness program, Clark says. Boeing employs a metrics specialist who helps the department track everything from written and verbal feedback from patrons to their purchasing trends. Clark and her team then are able to see key information, such as how many healthy-eating items are offered compared to how many are sold, and better gauge which items to put forward. “We can say, ‘Yes, we are doing this, and these are the results,’” she says.

Knowing what offerings are resonating is particularly handy for an operations like Boeing’s that have to serve such a high volume of employees, quickly. “We’ve got to get those factory guys in and out in 30 minutes, because that’s all they’ve got,” Clark says. “We’re just constantly looking for way to improve the speed of services.”

The hard work pays off as she sees these plans coming to fruition and remaining at a consistent quality, she says.

Martinez describes Clark as very approachable, and says she has a habit of communicating expectations while listening to diverse opinions. “She is a ‘How can I help you?’ person. Her plate is loaded, and she continues to take on challenges,” Martinez says. “It creates an environment where people feel valued.”