Preserving the Joy of Food: Student Engagement Activation

While safety has remained our focus and priority, we also considered how critical it was to preserve the joy in food; the connections it sparks and the smiles it creates. Here are some examples of how we’ve done that at our partner campuses:

  • Developed Virtual Orientation templates to introduce incoming first year students to our dining program and key contacts
  • Hosted Instagram Live meet and greets and Q&A sessions with dining staff
  • Sent made-from-scratch cookie gifts to students’ homes over the summer with a cheerful note from the dining team
  • Leveraged our social media channels to maintain connection with students throughout the summer, proactively inform them about changes and enhancements, and collect feedback for the new school year
  • Re-imagined campus traditions and student-favorite events to become socially distanced including outdoor progressive meals, Pop Up dining concepts, theme meals to-go, and virtual cooking classes 
  • Launched our Unboxed subscription box program to create a safe and convenient way to let students know someone is thinking about them – from across campus or from home
From social media posts from beloved dining team members to freshly baked cookies delivered right to their doors at home, Parkhurst teams found ways to stay connected with students over the spring and summer.