Liberty Dining sees record results on annual survey amid pandemic

Despite the challenges of the raging pandemic, Liberty Dining Services by Sodexo saw major satisfaction rating increases by Liberty University students.

More than 3,400 students, faculty, and staff members participated in the annual survey this year, up 40 percent from 2019’s survey participation.

“We believe the increase is due to smarter advertising and bigger incentives than years past,” said Marketing Manager Ryan Wheeler.

Wheeler noted that participants are always incentivized to win prizes for completing the survey. Prizes this year included a Polaroid OneStep Camera, Apple Watch, and a smart mug.

While Liberty’s overall satisfaction rating remained the same as in 2019, the greatest percent change was in cleanliness, with a 12 percent increase in satisfaction.

Wheeler said because of COVID-19, new cleaning and safety measures have been put into place to protect students, faculty, and staff, as well as Sodexo employees.

Procedures have included cleaning high-touch surfaces every 15 minutes, limiting seating inside dining locations, having hand sanitizer readily available, and implementing more to-go options.

“Before the school year even began, our teams were hard at work establishing safety and cleaning measures to ensure safety for all,” District Manager Duke Davis said. “This was uncharted territory, not only for us, but for all dining programs at colleges around the country. I’m proud to see our team take these measures seriously throughout the school year and clearly, their work paid off.”

Davis said they utilize the feedback when making changes into the dining program.

“We want our students to know that we take into account their feedback whenever we add new locations or tweak hours,” he said. “We’re here to serve them during the four years they are on Liberty’s campus and the survey is the most effective way we connect with them.”

In addition, Liberty Dining also received increased ratings in to-go offerings, atmosphere, ambience, and enhanced feedback methods for customers.