Restaurant Technologies announced its 25,000th customer, Loyola Marymount University (LMU) and Sodexo, two organizations that share the same passion for delivering high-quality foods to their customers and are committed to smarter operations that are sustainable. LMU, a private university located in Los Angeles, Calif., offers 16 on-campus dining facilities, operated and managed by Sodexo, world leader in Quality of Life Services.
This landmark partnership was formalized May 15 on Loyola Marymount’s campus, where Restaurant Technologies, in celebration of Sodexo at LMU being the 25,000th customer, donated $2,500 on their behalf, to the LMU Food Pantry, a resource that offers food to any LMU student who may experience food insecurity due to financial hardships. Sodexo has a strong commitment to ending hunger as demonstrated by the efforts of its dedicated employees and through Sodexo’s Stop Hunger Foundation, an independent entity that provides meals to people in need and serves as a leading force in the fight against hunger.
“LMU and Sodexo as our 25,000th customer marks a significant milestone for us as we continue to help higher education food service operators create safer, smarter operations to address the needs of all students,” says Jeff Kiesel, CEO of Restaurant Technologies. “Food insecurity is a growing concern on college campuses and we are glad to have a chance to help address this issue through smarter operations.”
In an effort to satisfy a range of palates and compete with off-campus dining options, universities are working to expand the entire campus dining experience to offer diverse, health-conscious meals that require cleaner, and fewer, ingredients. LMU and other universities have seen the benefits of using innovative equipment, such as Restaurant Technologies’ Total Oil Management system, to deliver a higher quality food product to keep students satisfied.
“It’s important to us that all our students have access to meals that meet their needs,” said Raymond Dennis, associate vice president of auxiliary management and business services, Loyola Marymount University. “We are excited to team up with Restaurant Technologies to ensure we are delivering quality options to our student diners and a safe environment for our student workers.”
Oil management is a dangerous, labor-intensive job, which is why institutions including Liberty University, the University of Cincinnati, The Ohio State University and Rutgers have also adopted the automated system for handling cooking oil. Restaurant Technologies’ solution eliminates the need for workers to manage fryer oil at any point during the process, which enables operators to maintain the quality of cooking oil and directly impacts the end product. Universities are also seeing the benefits of how the system significantly reduces the packaging and used oil sent to landfills by recycling used oil into biodiesel or animal feed, enabling universities to elevate sustainability efforts to the growing number of students and parents concerned about sustainability.
“Now more than ever, we are aware of not only how technology helps modernize our food service facilities but also enables us to tackle food insecurity among students,” says Wassim Boustani, onsite LMU general manager, Sodexo. “Innovative, well-designed equipment allows us to affordably maintain higher standards of safety, elevate sustainability and expand menu offerings to all students.”
