Foodservice

Scotty's 'Best in Business'

College foodservice group honors UC Riverside c-store for marketing, merchandising
RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- Grilled peanut butter sandwiches and a biweekly farmer's market earned Scotty's Convenience Store & Grill at the University of California Riverside the 2009 "Best in the Business" award for excellence in marketing and merchandising from the National Association of College & University Food Services (NACUFS).

The unique menu stemmed from UCR Executive Chef Lanette Dickerson's desire to create a signature dish that was protein-based and would meet the needs of vegetarian customers. The sandwiches are not only tasty but inexpensive, ranging from $1.80 [image-nocss] for regular peanut butter and jelly to $2.50 for gourmet blends with honey, raisins, apples or sweetened cream cheese.

Susan Coffman, student services director for dining services, said the biweekly farmers market features a variety of fresh local produce including citrus and eggs from UCR's own agricultural department. "Students love the idea of buying local and appreciate our efforts to bring this these fresh products to their door," Coffman said.

Vice chancellor Al Diaz said he knows to expect the best possible outcomes from housing and dining services. "I know how hard our dining team has worked to provide high-quality foodservices in a diversity of venues," he said.

Scotty's, named after the school's tartan-clad highlander bear mascot, opened in November 2007, providing students with a late-night venue to purchase snacks and beverages. It is open from 5:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. and managed mostly by students, which is one of the keys to the store's success. "Student managers keep the atmosphere young and customer friendly. They are able to get feedback from the students to assure we are carrying the products students are interested in buying," Coffman said.

The store, one of four on campus, features hot and cold sandwiches, soup, hot dogs, corn dogs, pizza, nachos, Dreyer's hand-dipped ice cream, Java City coffee and other food, snack and beverage items.

Scotty's sold more than 10,000 grilled sandwiches last year and did $645,617 in gross annual sales.

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