Dear parents,

As you know, this year we decided to try a different and somewhat innovative and unique approach to the management of a school cafeteria. We decided to hire our own chef and attempt to manage the cafeteria operation internally. This person became a member of the faculty and all aspects of the cafeteria management were absorbed into our school operation.

We believed that we could deliver better quality and service, and by including this function internally, we could have the cafeteria operation become a part of the educational enterprise of UNIS Hanoi.

We are happy to report that we have had significant success in many areas of the cafeteria operation as a result of the changes mentioned above. From unsolicited positive anecdotal comments from students, faculty and parents to the results of the recently completed community survey by students, faculty and parents, there is no question that most community members are pleased with the quality of the food and look forward to eating in the cafeteria each day. The many new recipes and selections have been well received and suggestions and ideas have been welcome.

Without any experience in doing this type of cafeteria management structure previously, and having very few prototypes upon which to model our operation, we have done our best to establish protocols, procedures and practices to effectively deal with the challenges of running an operation of this nature. From procurement to food sourcing to safety and hygiene to costing to financial management to menu development to nutrition controls to labor relations to staff training, we have worked hard to handle all the challenges that running a cafeteria operation can bring.

As we anticipate a move into our new cafeteria over the coming summer, we will require an expanded food services team to manage this larger facility and expanded operation. An expanded team will be able to more effectively and successfully manage the multiple facets of this operation - including menu planning, budgeting, food procurement and food safety, which always remains our highest priority. To do so, we believe we need to look outward again for further assistance.

We are committed to continuing the enhanced quality of the cafeteria service. As we looked at our choices and alternatives we became aware of a new vendor working in Vietnam. Their name is Epicure and in addition to being the cafeteria service provider for the British International Schools and the British-Vietnamese International Schools in Vietnam, it is also the service provider for the International School of Bangkok and the International School of Phnom Penh.

As part of our commitment to continual improvement, we have decided to sign a contract with Epicure to begin cafeteria service in the new school year. Epicure is well aware of the progress made this year and understands our expectation that this standard will be maintained and enhanced even more. We are confident that our food services will continue to meet the expectations of our community in the coming year.

We are grateful for the hard work and effort put forth by Chef Adam and his team and we thank them for taking the school's food services in a positive direction.  

Respectfully,

Dr. Barder