Society for Foodservice Management

This month's Member Spotlight features Victoria Vega of CulinArt, Inc. Victoria answered several questions about customer satisfaction and industry trends.

What is the biggest challenge you face on the contractor side of the business?

After more than 20 years in operations, transitioning to business development brought to light a challenge that will continue to impact our industry – the commoditizing of food service.  Onsite dining is no longer a segment in which decision-making is impacted by the senses.  We are being governed by price and evaluated by purchasing or procurement departments without benefit of the multidimensional relationships we foster with our clients and customers.

As culinary service professionals we all strive to deliver a unique dining experience to the discerning populations we serve.  The sensory impact of sight, sound, touch, smell and undeniably taste cannot be sold on the basis of price alone. There is no accounting line item for passion on a balance sheet.  It is our responsibility to differentiate our products and services by highlighting the strategic value hospitality programs bring to corporate culture and the unique selling points that differentiate our organizations in the competitive onsite arena.


What do you see as the most important trend in the industry?

Glocalization, thinking globally while acting locally, will become part of the foodservice lexicon and continue to impact our industry.  From ingredient origin to carbon footprint considerations, food service managers will need to balance universal operating standards with local considerations.  By getting involved in our communities and adapting to the conditions of the local environment, we can continue to positively impact the guests we serve.

The “average” customer no longer exists and homogenized menus will not translate to increased participation.  We need to deliver customized solutions to match the demographic preferences in each market.  Our sensitivity to understanding diversity in the corporate workforce can infuse our culinary concepts with local flair.  By researching lifestyle nuances within regions, operators can deliver authenticity while respecting the integrity of the source and honoring the heritage of our guests by providing the food choices our customers enjoy.


How do you maintain balance between keeping your client’s customers happy, your client happy, and your parent organization happy?

I attribute much of my career success to a simple, but critical, action when discussing customer satisfaction, client retention or career longevity.  My primary objective is to listen with purpose.  Every few years I tend to sharpen the saw and re-read Stephen Covey’s “The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.”  It is always Chapter 5 on empathic communication that hits home with the Zen-like recommendation to “seek first to understand; then to be understood.”  Being a good listener is akin to harnessing power and is essential to creating positive relationships.  When you have good information and accurate data, you can respond, resolve, refute or influence others through effective communication.


What advice do you have for young foodservice professionals considering entering the on-site/non-commercial foodservice realm?

The best advice I ever received was from my executive coach, former SFM President Debi Benedetti.  Her transformational recommendation was to always have your own personal board of directors.  By creating a network of a half-dozen or more powerful people who provide candid feedback and constructive criticism, I was able to see my success and failures from an objective vantage point.

When casting that net, I didn’t recruit people who were all “like me” to my circle.  I sought out mentors at different organizational levels internally and externally to my position as well as industry leaders whose careers and executive charisma inspired me.  I talked to clients, vendors, subordinates and peers to find my own executive board.  In the end, this exercise served as a personal 360-degree appraisal, providing first-hand knowledge of how others perceived me.  It was truly an unofficial validation of my capabilities and a great tool for anyone growing up in our industry.


You’ve been a member of SFM for quite a while. How has the Association changed since you first joined?

I joined SFM in 1992 and what a difference 20 years makes!  The biggest change impacting our association and industry is consolidation.  Mergers and acquisitions have reduced the number of competitive food service management companies.  Corporate downsizing has impacted the role of the client liaison, as other ancillary services are combined with general and facility-related administration.  And in our personal and professional lives we are all doing more with reduced funding, fewer resources and less time.

I find it ironic that consolidation can be defined positively as combining or unifying, but also negatively as in discarding unused items.  As members of SFM, we all need to be sensitive to the fact that consolidation breeds change and if we fail to react to the evolution of our industry, then we will find ourselves defined by the negative connotation.  I prefer my glass half-full.  We need to face the challenges brought on from consolidation by solidifying and strengthening our position as the pre-eminent national association serving the needs and interests of the onsite foodservice industry.  I encourage all fellow members to volunteer, give back and get involved with SFM.