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.

Day 22

Another Monday at the Morris Inn. My tasks today illustrate how many hats you must wear to work in a hotel. Just as Mr. Konkey has to wear many hats, our employees perform many different duties as part of their jobs. So, today I spent some time with the kitchen cashiers, followed by a quick tour of the hotel with the maintenance technician.




Diane is our lead cashier, and is responsible for ensuring that all restaurant checks are processed properly. She works closely with the servers assisting them, enabling them to process checks quickly and effeciently. When she is not helping here, she works in the housekeeping area ordering supplies and keeping the shelves stocked for the guest rooms.


After a short visit with Diane, I next met Cruz. He's another man of many hats. As our maintenance tech, he needs to know how to do many jobs, including working on airconditioning, electrical, plumbing, and as shown here, painting. His job is never done, as once he completes one project, there is another project waiting. Yet Cruz manages to do his work with a smile and continues to keep the hotel in tip top shape.

Days 19-21

On Friday, September 19th and for the rest of the weekend, I spent more time at the Front Desk with Pat, Whitney and the rest of the staff. They were training me on how to check in guests and check out guests. I really enjoyed welcoming the guests to the Morris Inn and wishing them safe travels home when they were departing. I also enjoyed watching our staff interact with the guests. It is apparent that they enjoy what they do, and this comes across to our guests. I was also surprised by the amount of activity in this area. Although the hotel is relatively small, the two employees on each shift were always busy. If guests weren't checking in or out, the phone was ringing for future reservations, or someone was asking for directions or advise on a good local restaurant. They truly demonstrate what it means to be in the hospitality business.

Day 18

Thurday began my front desk orientation as I spend time with Shannen and her staff. The front desk is the heart of the hotel and the center of activity as the staff is constantly fielding questions both in person and over the phone. After helping with checkouts in the morning, it was off to spend more time at the Century Center with Shannen and Carol. The Chamber of Commerce was hosting a Business Expo allowing many of the local vendors to share information about their products and services with the community. Our focus was on Sorin's as we tried to promote our business and inform locals about our restaurant. It is amazing that after 50 years people who live in this area are still unfamiliar with Sorin's and are not aware that it is open to the public. But after handing our nearly 900 mini desserts and 800 coupons, perhaps we can change this perception.

Day 17

Wednesday was a relatively quiet day for some of us, as we are between home football games. Although we are sold out tonight and have plenty of banquets, they took it easy on me today and in fact took me out to lunch. I attended the College Football Hall of Fame luncheon series to listen to Pete Dawkins speak. Mr. Dawkins attended Army and was the first Rhodes Scholar to win the Heisman Trophy. In addition to Mr. Dawkins we had the privilege of hearing one of the attendee's cell phone conversations as he spoke with his wife about his plans for the day. Although I am sure Mr. Dawkins and the rest of the audience were not all that interested, it proved a challenge for him to compete with this gentleman's conversation. He handled it as a professional and was able to continue his speech despite the rudeness of this gentleman.

Overall it was great event and I was glad I had the opportunity to attend. After the luncheon I was given the rest of the day off, as I had a busy schedule over the next few days.

Day 16

Tuesday started out with yet another aspect of the hotel that I was not familiar with, and one that again may be taken for granted. On a campus where parking has become an important issue for employees, it is also important for our guests. Controlling access to our parking lot to ensure that our guests have a place to park is yet another important function that sometimes gets overlooked. Although there are plenty of notices and signs informing visitors of our parking procedures, they go largely unnoticed by drivers, and our parking lot attendants spend a great deal of time policing and montitoring traffic in our lot. Although they are not always popular as they try to enfore these regulations, they do so with a smile and create a good impresion for both the University and the Morris Inn/McKenna Hall.

Day 15

Although there are many glamorous aspects of working in the hotel field, I found out Monday that there are some important aspects of this job, that are not so glamorous. For instance, keeping the building and facilities clean is critical to guests satisfaction, but as I found out, toilets do not clean themselves. I spent time working with Julie and her staff at McKenna Hall to see what goes on behind the scenes to ensure a clean building for our guests. We cleaned sinks, floors, windows, and yes, even toliets. My new found appreciation for the staff at McKenna was obvious as this is not easy work. And unlike some of the areas where guests are impressed by the sights of culinary treats, or dazzled by services rendered, this work is not always recognized. But spending a day with these folks, it is obvious that they take prided in what they do, and they provide an invaluable service to the operation and are an integral part of our overall success. If I wore I hat, I would tip it to them for their hard work and dedication.

Day 14

After over 2 weeks at the Morris Inn, I was finally able to take a day off. Boy, this hotel business is crazy. I guess I should have looked at the job description more carefully.

But at least I was able to relax today and watch some football. Can an M & M be a couch potato? If so, that was me on Sunday afternoon. I did also find time to get a haircut as there seems to be no time during the week to do such things. After a lazy day of doing nothing, it felt good to finally get a good nights sleep.

Day 13 - Gameday

The skies oepend up on Friday, and by Saturday much of the area was soaked with almost 6 inches of rain. Despite of this, there was still work to do. After a little playing in parking lot, (I am getting a ride in the barrel above), it was back to work. Although delayed, our tent opened at 1 to a famished crowd anticpating a victory over Michigan. And they were not disappointed as the Irish beat the Wolverines 35-17.


With a victory in hand, and another successful day at the Morris Inn, by 11 pm I was exhausted. Although our executive sous chef was still going strong, I was ready for a nightcap, and looked forward to my first day off in two weeks.

Day 12

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The Fridays before a home football game have a lot of activity. As we continue to prepare for our Saturday courtyard event, we have many events on Frday, to include the various functions for the councils on campus. Again a great deal of preperation is involved to ensure the success of the functions. Above, I am shown gathering and inspecting some of the equipment to be used.

Our preperation is still underway, as we stage various courses of our meals to ensure a short turnoaround for our orders. We strive to have less than a 40 minute turnaround for all dinnner oders, and this can only be accomplished by being prepared. Again, Friday is a long dday, but nothing compared to gameday.

Day 11

As we prepare for our second football game, I am sent to the kitchen to help prepare food and get ready for the large crowds. We will serve almost 200o guests in Sorin's as well as various banquet functions and patrons of Leahy's. Before we begin, we must prepare an order list to ensure that we have all of the food we need on hand.

We must also make sure that all of our equipment is in working order. Since I am short in stature, (a short ordre cook), I am asked to visually insepct one of our hot boxes. This is used to transport food to various areas of the hotel and keep it warm prior to serving.
In addition to equipment for serving food, we also have to keep all of our china and glassware clean. Again, I am coerced into inspecting our dishwasher from the inside out.


This finsihes up a very interseting but tiresome day. Tomorrow is Friday and our football weekend will begin. Already I am looking for ward to Sunday afternoon.

Day 10

I started my day having breakfast with the staff and Jim Lyphout. They didn't let me eat from the breakfast buffet, however, I was allowed to have a cup of coffee and enjoy the conversation. The breakfast was nice and everyone enjoyed talking with and meeting Mr. Lyphout. He was even nice enough to let me hang out on his shoulder for this neat group picture.


After breakfast,I worked the front desk at the CCE. I made copies, assisted a customer with an online registration, mailed letters, and took mail to the Morris Inn office. WARNING! Do NOT randomly ring the bell at the desk if you don't need assistance......I didn't know if you ring it for no reason, you owe the office gals a dozen donuts!


After working with the students at the CCE, I took a stroll down memory lane when I was a student here. Boy, Fr. Sorin was swell!!


The best time though, was to be a member of the "Ramblers" football team, and a part of the Four Horseman! Those were the days with Coach Ara and the boys.

What a thrill to be presented with prestigious awards from President Kennedy, Fr.Hesburgh & Fr. Malloy. All the research I did on the, "/Melt in your Mouth, not in your Hands"/ theory paid off.

Lori and Lisa had some errands on campus to run so knowing that I needed some fun & excitement - they graciously took me with them and we had some really fun stops - take a look!!

We first stopped at the stadium tunnel - wow...wish I were an ND Football Player and could run down thru there again and play Michigan this weekend.

I couldn't believe what fun I was having riding in the golf cart. I got to sit on the hood (hope Risk Management/Security didn't see that) and even got my picture taken by the Library and the infamous "Touchdown Jesus"!!

Then Jed, the Assistant Director at the ND Hammes Bookstore, took us into the stadium and showed us around...its a lot different when there isn't 80,000 and my fans around!


Due to my fame - I was allowed a sneak peek at the new Holtz statue that is going to be unveiled Saturday....it is really cool - wait til y'all see it!!!

Got to go up to mid-level and have a really cool Kodak moment in the stands. The press box is so big...I was waiting for an announcer to say..."touchdown by McMorris", however, I guess when there is only a few people there, its just not going to happen.



Probably one of the coolest things about the field trip was I got to help paint the gold helmets...can you believe it??? It was a fluke - we were driving by, saw them spraying them and I just walked right on over and asked to help. They told me how excited they were to meet me - that made my day!


Once outside the stadium we took a quick trip to see my old buddy Moose. We sat and reminisced over the good old times - it was great to catch up, however, it seemed like I was the one doing all the talking?!

After the field trip Lori got back to business and took me to the weekly Food & Beverage meeting...wow - Morris Inn & McKenna Hall sure are going to be busy this next week!

Day 9

After the martini last night Lisa and Lori had me attend an EBMS meeting which is for our new Event Management Software, very exciting actually!
Julie Dowling wasn't allowed at the big people table, so she sat and listened to all the work with JPW and Commencement that she had to look forward to in 2009!



Julie Pawlak from the Office of Information Technologies (OIT) is very sweet and let me look on with her as she went over the processes. She is outlining every process then laying it out with a flow chart to help us with the new software implementation going forward.


John Kelly, also with the OIT, is a cool guy - just like me. He let me rest in his shirt pocket near the end of the meeting which was at 4:45pm so it was a nice way to end my day today - two buddies chillin'.
Tomorrow is going to be a busy day with a big breakfast meeting so I'm off to bed to get my rest.