Day 29

My last day on the job!! I am really going to miss working here. The people have been great, and it has been a tremendous experience. Today I got to spend a little time with the servers from Sorin's. These folks are our link between the food we create and the expereince the customers have. Having great food is only part of the challenge in a restaurant. The real challenge is delivering the food to the customer in a timely and friendly manner. And the staff of Sorin's do this day in and day out. Serving close to 80,000 guests per year they do so with smiles and in a way that demonstrates why the Morris Inn is indeed the "Center of Hospitality"for the University.

Day 28

Sundays after gameday are still pretty busy and many employees have to suck it up and work another shift. Although the tent is closed, Sorin's is open at 7 and there are a few functions as well. I guess the staff felt sorry for me as they gave me the day off. Only a few days left for me here. Officially, Tuesday will be my last day, but I hope I can stick around after this. There is a luncheon planned for Tuesday and a chance for me to thank the staff and reminisce about my time here.

Day 27

As we start another gameday today, we are blessed with beautiful blue skys and warm temperatures. Unlike the last game, this should be perfect day for football. As with most of the staff, there is plenty to do to get ready as we open the tent at 10 am. I spend time with various staff members assisting as needed. Again, this is a real tema effort with many employees working together to take care of the customer. One group that spends a lot of time in the tent (as well as other areas of the hotel are the housemen. (shown above) In addition to set up and tear down, they take care of emptying trash and doing various tasks around the hotel. This is also a group that has many hats to wear.

One other person who performs various functions arounhg the hotel is Mr. Beirne. Not only is he the director of both facilities, but he can also be found in all areas of the operation helping and lending a hand as necessary. On a football Saturday it is not unusual to see him serving hamburgers, or moving tables. It is through his example that inspire others to create this sense of teamwork.
After a relatviely slow start, Saturday ends up to be a very busy and productive day. I look forward to tomorrow for another day off and another day of R @ R.

Day 26

The day before gamedays are again pretty busy. There is a lot of activity on campus. and many of those visitors stop by the Morris Inn. We host some of the councils that are on campus and their meetings are held across the street at McKenna Hall. Friday night we also play host to a reception for these councils. These are very nice events which allow our culinary staff the opportunity to show what they can do. It's fun to watch all of the hard work come together as the guests enjoy a lvely evening in our tent.


While this event is going on in the tent, our private dining rooms are opened to the various recognition societies for dinner. These are people who have contributed to the University at various levels and recieve recognition for this. The fare for this event comes from the menu in Sorin's and is well received by all who attend.

Day 25

For the third time in 4 weeks we are preparing for another football game. This week we host Purdue which should prove to be an exciting game. Although there is still a lot of preperation to do before the game, it is a relatively quiet day for me. I spend some time in Leahy's working with the bartenders and learning to mix drinks. The staff is busy stocking the bar and cutting fruit to be used for the weekend.

I also spend some time with Violante who is one of the kitchen cashiers. She is also one of the staff members that wears several hats working in the service bar as well as a banquet bartender.

Day 24

Today was yet another day of training, as I attended two unique training sessions. The first was training for a specific application that is being introduced on campus called People EZ. This particular program will allow users to obtain avaious information about employees from one single source. Previously, employee information was stored in various databases, requiring users to run different applications depending on what information they were seeking. This new system allows reporting of employee information in a more robust fashion and should save time and effort for managers. I am picured above with Bruce Harris, one of the trainers.

My afternoon was spent with various managers of the Office of Business Operations in their two year Leadership Institute Program. This program started last year and consists of monthly sessions designed to sharpen the skills of these managers. We have covered various topics such as leadership, Managing Teams, and todays topic Handling Challenging Conversations.

Day 23

Along with the day to day tasks associated with running a hotel/conference center, the University places high value on educational opportunities. There are various avaenues available for training on campus. Some are specific to our jobs, such as a new program that is being instituted, and some are more general to help with employees devlelop amagement and leadership skills. I had the privelede of hearing this from Fr. Jenkins and John Affleck-Graves as they held one of several Town Hall Meetings. This was a great forum for them to keep the employees informed of all that is happening at the University. The response has been great, and was met with Standing room only attendance.


Tuesday night was a new adventure for me as I was invited to an event that was held in the Penthouse of the Hesburgh Library. These are VIP events scheduled through the Office of Special Events. and our staff caters all of these functions. This particular event was a retirement party for one of the Officers and turned out to be a great night. The food and service of these events are always impeccable, and combined with the breathtaking views of campus this is a always a special memory for those invited.