Fresh Ideas brings new flavor to campus meals

After Todd McCrory became director of dining services for Fresh Ideas Food at Purdue University Fort Wayne in the summer of 2024, he set out to wipe their operations clean like a freshly scrubbed counter. He dislikes the word “change,” but is always looking for opportunities to “improve.”

“You have to have the right set of eyes,” McCrory said. “You walk around a kitchen, see a problem, and take care of it.”

It may some days feel like all he’s done over the last year is take care of those opportunities, but McCrory and his staff continue to introduce their modifications. They’ve been working hard to figure out what works, which means returning students should already be noticing the improvements.

No longer do servers turn their backs to prepare dishes for those ordering. The mandate is to be front-facing and engaging, which helps the team get to know the customers.

Different options include, but are not limited to, ramen bowls, smash burgers, enhanced salad options, and a mac and cheese station. McCrory isn’t a fan of steam tables holding food, as they don’t maintain quality and integrity, so he’s implemented more immediate counter preparation. These action stations are part of a new outlook to highlight a new era.

Along with more training, the Fresh Ideas’ staff worked on the enhanced system this summer during new student orientation sessions, regularly serving as many as 275 people in 30 minutes.

April Ousley is starting her third year as assistant manager. She’s quick to share positive feedback with the team.

“I immediately come downstairs and tell my staff, `You guys are doing something right,’” Ousley said. “We can really make a difference in some of these students’ lives.”

The personal interactions are both intentional and real, meaning the employees sometimes know students’ preferred orders and can be a step ahead.

“I like building the connections with students,” said Kim Saylor, who is starting her second year as supervisor in charge of dinner. “They are so energetic and passionate that it’s fun to see them light up when they notice you are building their wrap a specific way. They kind of need that connection.”

Those interactions also represent stability, Ousley said, partly because they are the people feeding the students. Last year, Fresh Ideas served about 1,200 meals daily, including 500 lunches at Don’s at Walb, 400 meals at Einstein Bros. Bagels, and additional business at Java Spot. The hope is those numbers increase because students are enjoying the food.

Don’s at Walb continues as the main driver with breakfast served from 7:30 to 10 a.m., lunch from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and dinner from 4:30 to 8 p.m.

McCrory isn’t afraid to try new things. After a test run last spring that served more than 200 students over a two-hour stretch, Flapjacks and Finals has now become a regular, late-night event during those key moments of the academic year.

Other dining experiences include cereal for Valentine’s Day, cookie decorating, lemonade stands, and various other pop-up stations. There have even been informal discussions about the possibility of offering cooking classes.

For all university-funded events, Fresh Ideas is the exclusive campus catering provider. That includes those activities hosted by student organizations.

As with the student-focused meals, McCrory wants to build the catering base and continue to progress. There’s more to be done in both areas, and a new catering guide is in the works.

“I’m saying that what all of this is about is better food, but also about building relationships,” McCrory said. “How do you build relationships? It all starts with communication. How can we make this better? There’s always room to improve.”