Get to know University of Richmond’s Terry Baker

Here's what the future holds for the University of Richmond, FSD’s September Foodservice Operation of the Month, in the words of Executive Dining Director Terry Baker.

Q: What makes your operation excel?

The passion of the people I work with. They are passionate about their profession—whether in the kitchen or service, passionate about working with the students, and passionate about being involved in the campus community. That passion drives everyone to work together toward our goals. I can’t do it myself. It’s all of us together.

Q: What are your goals for the university’s foodservice in the coming year?

I’m thinking all about engagement. A dining director needs to engage with the staff and students, to get involved so you can experience what they’re experiencing. For me, that means I want to help grow the staff professionally and attract staff who will add even more to our program. And I want to listen to what the students are saying about what’s important to them, so we can interpret that into the dining program. It’s all about getting involved and getting engaged.

Q: What have you learned from working through the COVID crisis?

How resilient we are. We can adapt to change. It’s amazing how many times COVID regulations and situations have changed, and yet we’ve been able to roll with them together as a team. We really, truly are a team.

Q: Which pandemic-era lessons or operational changes will you bring forward?

We implemented Grubhub during COVID, and we’ll bring that forward to concessions during the fall for football and basketball games and other events. But the big one really is importance of team effort and cross-training. We learned that anything can be done with a positive attitude, and we’re not going to forget that.