Great food keeps 'em comin' to Disneyland
Contents
SILVER PLATE
Mary Niven, winner of the Silver Plate--Special
Foodservice
Foodservice at California's Disneyland, or
at one of its hotels, may seem to be galaxies
away from the world of non-commercial dining.
But Mary Niven, who oversees dining at one of
the happiest places on earth, bridges the distance
between the two and says they are closer than
they appear.
Members of the National College and University
Food Service Association (NACUFS) will recognize
her name. She was an active member for years,
having even held the position of national president
in 1996, when she headed foodservice at the
University of California-Los Angeles. Niven,
who runs dining at Disneyland, Disney's California
Adventure and three related hotels, is a veteran
of the business, both non-commercial and commercial.
At Disney, however, the lines between the two
worlds blur.
"In both the college market, and with
Disney, the No. 1 product, the No. 1 priority,
is not food. People don't pick a college for
the food," she points out. "At Disney
the No. 1 focus is the entertainment and attractions
we provide. Food is not the primary driver,
so you [have to] begin to understand how you
support a priority that may be different from
your core business."
Dining destiny: Food may not be Disney's core
business, but for the past four years, Niven
has made it her priority to make sure that the
dining facilities at the parks and hotels are--or
on their way to becoming--destination spots
in their own right that provide interactive
experiences integral to the overall Disney experience.
The core of the Disney brand, she explains,
is storytelling--so her job, too, is to tell
a story. "I happen to tell stories through
food and service," she says. "We focus
on all the details necessary to bring a story
to life, to make it vibrant, and to immerse
the guest in the story." Those details
range from the menu selections and decor to
the menu design and food presentation.
She strives to give customers a respite from
the kinetic experience of a theme park visit.
To achieve this, the team has made changes such
as expanded table service and broadened menu
variety.
Niven is also focused on getting people to
think of theme park food as more than just burgers
and pizza. Venues run the gamut of service styles
from concession carts in the parks to foodcourts
to fine dining. She says that she and her team
continually seek to improve the quality of the
foods they serve and add to the variety of both
the food choices and price points so that there
is something for everyone and every palate.
The effort is paying off. Since her arrival,
guest satisfaction is up; the average check--without
the benefit of increasing prices to keep pace
with inflation--has increased by 5.6%; wait
times are down; and food costs are down, she
confirms. But she avoids taking sole credit;
instead, she shines a light on a strong cadre
of individuals with a singular purpose that
she says should share the glory collectively.
Back on the rancho: Among the new offerings
and revenue generators at Disney is a new Latin
cuisine concept, designed with southern California's
growing Hispanic market in mind. The concept,
called Rancho del Zocolo, features authentic
Mexican flavor profiles, moving away from more
North-Americanized versions of Mexican fare
with which many customers are familiar. The
foodcourt-style facility is hitting the mark
with a wide range of guests, despite the fact
that its offerings aren't typical. Niven says
the dishes hail from the heart of Mexico, where
people don't use many red sauces but rather
favor garlic and lemon sauces.
Rancho del Zocolo aims to give some customers
a taste of home, while giving others an opportunity
to try something new, or as Niven says, "it
allows them to be on a food adventure."
Another relatively new addition to the menu
has been Munch, Inc., a program of better-for-you
choices for children. Parents are able to order
healthful beverages and side items and forego
the french fries and other less nutritious foods,
while still finding their kids' favorite entrees
on the menu. The key ingredient for this program
has been the clever marketing geared toward
making it fun to order healthy meals. "We
make the fact that [kids] are not necessarily
getting french fries a non-issue," she
explains.
Magic's in the details: Niven is equally as
busy on the hotel side of the house. Her team
is revamping the steak house, for example. The
menu is more contemporary, she reports, and
more comprehensive, featuring not only steak
but also seafood and other non-steak dishes
that match the steak dishes in quality and presentation.
Disney also refreshed the restaurant's look--it
now resembles a 1950s jazz club with a "contemporary
feel," according to Niven.
The menu and the presentation of the dishes,
however, are also central to the dining experience
here. Niven says that dishes, designed to be
eye-grabbing as well as delicious, turn heads
as wait staff carry them through the dining
room to customers. "It's taking a look
at the story, and asking 'how can you make it
better, make it surprise and delight people?'
"That's part of what we do; we take everyday
things and make them special through the quality
of the food, the ambience and the presentation."
SILVER PLATE
MARY NIVEN
At-a-glance
* TITLE Vice pres., food and beverage
* ORGANIZATION Disneyland, Anaheim, CA
* YEARS IN FOODSERVICE Almost 30 years
* MEAL VOLUME 25,000 daily
* FACILITIES 56 restaurants, about 200 carts
* FOODSERVICE SALES 'Hundreds of millions' annually
* STAFF SHE OVERSEES 5,000 'cast members'
