Box Asks Students' Opinions of Food

Adams House residents may have been surprised to find a new black box in their dining hall when they came to breakfast Wednesday morning.

They were probably more surprised when it asked what they thought of the food.

The box, which sits across from the checker's desk, is part of a pilot program by Harvard Dining Services (HDS) to increase student feedback on the quality of the service and food.

"I'm a firm believer that we need to use as many techniques as possible to reach out to as many people as possible," said Leonard D. Condenzio, interim director of HDS.

The black toaster-sized machine, which features a rectangular green screen, asks students to rate various aspects of their dining experience on a scale of 1 to 5.

According to Condenzio, the Adams House device will test whether students will use the machines if they are installed in other houses, as well as give officials practice downloading survey results.

HDS has already purchased 13 polling machines, each costing between $500 and $800, depending on programming capabilities.

These machines will not be used full-time in all the houses. Instead, they will be programmed to ask specific questions when HDS needs student feedback on a particular menu item or meal.

According to Condenzio, the results from the Adams House trial, which ends Sunday evening, will not be evaluated or publicized, because HDS is only testing whether the machines work.

Condenzio says he hopes the machines will help HDS respond to student needs.

"In order to stay in touch with your customers in a business or service, you need to offer many possibilities for communication, and this is just one more," he said.

Condenzio praised the machine's convenience. It is easy to program, he said, and the data it collects can be downloaded to a remote site for analysis.

The survey takes less than a minute to complete, making feedback easier for students.

"I decided to use the machine because it was quick and convenient. I wanted to express favorable opinions about the dining hall," said Pedro A. Pimentel '99, an Adams House resident.

But some students were less enthusiastic.

"The machine didn't really ask specific questions. I wish we could comment on specific foods," said Adams House resident Andrew Nieland '97.

"The machine asks you to rate the presentation of the food; I wanted to say the pork chops are dry," he said.

Condenzio said the polling machines will not replace any of the other feedback techniques. He encouraged students to continue to use the yellow feedback cards when they have more specific comments or concerns.

"I really like these things," he said fondly clutching yesterday's stack of 100 feedback cards to his chest. "I read them all every day."

Peter Atkinson, customer service manager for the Adams House dining hall, said he also values the traditional yellow cards.

"Sometimes the feedback cards are used as wish lists or thank you notes, but they can also be very valid," he said.

HDS's other mechanisms for feedback include bi-annual surveys, the Harvard University Dining Advisory Committee and the Manager's Round Table.