Erich Geiger was announced as the new executive director of Swarthmore Dining at the end of the 2025-2026 school year. Prior to Swarthmore, his most recent position was at the University of Texas at Austin in senior dining leadership. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.
Reina Jones: Packaged item costs at Essie’s, Kohlberg, and Sci Cafe have increased since last year, but student dining dollars and points have remained unchanged. What prompted this decision?
Erich Geiger: Have you been to the grocery store?
RJ: Yes.
EG: Pretty reasonable. [The college] presented what they said they do normally on an annual basis. So this is the annual cost of goods, and I even looked at it; I made sure that it wasn’t a real cost of goods increase. It’s not tied to inflation, but it’s just something, right? So that [the college] can continue to move forward.
RJ: Following up with that, then, the tuition cost for students has definitely gone up, but the Dining Dollar amounts that we receive when we subscribe to any of the meal plans hasn’t increased accordingly. The tuition goes up, which is expected, but then the adjustment doesn’t flow down into our ability to purchase.
EG: Yeah, it’s not unlike the grocery store, and I’m not disagreeing [with the observation]. I understand the plight. It’s no different than the struggle that every American family is going through right now. As the grocery store prices go up, their paycheck doesn’t necessarily match the increases in the cost of living.
I think that’s one of the big discussion points right now with the midterms coming up. It’s a challenge that we’re all faced with, including institutions, but I see your point. That’s why cost is actually one of the things that we’re really focused on.
When [the college] presented their price increases, one of the things I looked at was their overall pricing strategies. One of the things that I was excited about is that [prices of items sold through Swarthmore Dining] are actually very favorable to the market. So when we look at our cost, you’ve got Boar’s Head Deli over [at Essie’s], and you’ve got really good pricing. So overall, we’re below market; that’s just my perception. I’ve got to have a certain amount of time to kind of get my feet on the ground, but from that perspective, it’s favorable.
RJ: Do Swarthmore’s size and resources allow Dining to think about efficiency and cost cutting a little bit less urgently?
EG: There is no cost cutting going on, none. Now, what there is, there is waste cutting.
One of the things we’re focused on is how much food was going into the compost at the end of the night; those kinds of things we’re really focused on, and on quality. But as far as [cost cutting], there hasn’t been hours cut [for staff]; there’s no desire to cut the cost of the plate cost.
When we talk about the cost of food, we talk about the plate cost, right? What I would like for us to do is to make sure that when we’re spending money, that you see it. And if we’re going to spend something extra, let’s make sure that the student can differentiate between an A and a B [offering].
It’s like if we’re going to serve steak, serve a really good steak. One of the questions you had was about flank steak. [Geiger received an advance copy of the questions where he was asked when flank steak will be served on the menu again.] So I asked the chef — I really don’t write the menus — he said, well, actually, we’re offering steak twice in the four-week cycle menu now, where they actually replace the flank steak with a higher grade that’s based off of a tenderloin cut.
So again, what we don’t want is for a junior to see the same menu he saw as a freshman. For example, in January? Okay, we’re talking one-pound lobsters. We’re gonna have a lobster night.
In fact, I’ll [be sending out] a sign-up for a student food committee, and what you start to see out there will be driven more and more by students.
RJ: I’ve heard that DCC staff are being instructed to cook food closer to serving time, and how that’s perhaps contributing to longer lines, people waiting at stations for food to get cooked.
EG: So when the team came over from the previous facility, right, the old buildings, that was a hard transition. The [DCC] building is built to produce food in the most modern collegiate dining manner, which is in front of you: J-I-T, just in time, in batch cooking.
Because of the way the facilities were built in the past, they were cooking two batches, and by 12 o’clock lunch was done, and by 6 o’clock dinner was done. All the cooking, even though there were cooks, was in the warmers. You’re cooking for how much you think may show up based on history. Yes, there’s numbers, but sometimes you miss and [are left with] unused portions. Now if it’s been out too long, if it’s been at a temperature for too long, it’s going to go in the compost.
So, the way that this place is designed is called Marche. It’s the market concept, and it really started off in Canada, and it was around the farmers’ markets. The farmers, in the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s, were saying, oh, I could sell more of my produce if I saute some of it up, right? So samples became plates, and then they were using their own product [in food offerings]. You can just see the pop and the sizzle. [The farmers’ market] is kind of the epitome of the experience that you’re trying to create; you’re cooking to the pan, but some of it is for show, and some of it is for actual cooking. Overall satisfaction is enhanced when you can see somebody prepping and cooking [because] your first perceptions of quality and freshness go up overall.
Some of it is rethermalizing, but what they’re doing is they’re not cooking to order — they’re cooking not so far ahead. If I have a casserole, if I’m going to make 14 lasagnas, I’m going to start off by cooking five. An hour later, I’m going to cook three, but I’m also watching the numbers. Do I need to put the last two of them in the oven?
So there’s a lot less waste. That’s the big thing that we’re noticing right now: at the end of the night, a lot less is going into the compost. We’re trying to figure out that 8:00 to 9:30 period because I think that we’re going to have even more change. I think we’re going to end up having maybe more stir-fry stations. We’re talking about, ‘Do [the students] want a self-cook station from 8 to 9:30?’ That’ll be part of the food committee that we’ll be creating. Getting their input. What you see [in Dining Services right now] is far from finished. Right now, it’s based on our best information, trying to get closer to what we consider a modern collegiate dining program.
And regarding the long lines. One of the things that I do is I time them. If I’m [standing next to] the salad bar, the farthest that I’ve seen the line go [toward World of Flavor] — and I’ve timed people, and I stand in line myself — five minutes.
I’m like, okay, you know. Now, if that was [at every station], we’d be in trouble.
There’s an associate director chef, and he’s also the executive chef. His name is Tom Ramsey. He actually runs the DCC, and then Rich Green is the other associate. He runs retail and catering. Then, in my role, I work through them. You are developing leaders, and then they have leaders, right? You’re trying to develop leaders, so [you lay out], ‘This is how we want. This is where we’re going.’ How we get there, we work that out as a team on the day-to-day.
Now, I’m out there. You see me on the floor if you’re ever in here. I’m out there a lot. Just because I’m not running [the DCC], it doesn’t mean I’m not there, and I’m not talking to people. I’ll help, and I work in the dish room and all those things. But on a day-to-day, Tom’s running it, and that’s a good thing.
RJ: So, delegation.
EG: Yeah, and I’m still there. But the long lines, they’re not everywhere, and the ones that I see go fast. Now, the ones that really draw lines are Taco Tuesday and salmon, and those are going pretty fast. So I’m like, okay, as long as those keep going, we’re good. If it came to be a problem, that’s something that we would address. At this point in time, if there’s a line, it’s not because they’re waiting on food. Now, somewhere they might be changing out a pan, but it should be pretty quick because, again, they’re not cooking to the line.
Now the grill is trying to figure it out upstairs. Sometimes they’ve got too much, and then I’m like, ‘Okay, you shouldn’t have that much pre-done.’ You’re trying to get hot and fresh. Who doesn’t want a hot, fresh burger? [The Grill’s] just getting better and better. You’re just trying to get it to where you’re good at it. And the students, our guests, are not waiting. If it happens to be one or two minutes once in a while, [that’s okay] to make it good.
RJ: Are you hearing complaints from students about the lines so far?
EG: No, I’ve been stopped three times, and all three times have been to thank me for the changes to the food, and I always say the staff is doing a fantastic job. So I’ve been stopped three times for compliments.
RJ: How are you adapting your experiences from working at small, medium, and large colleges to this job at Swarthmore, with one cafeteria and only a few alternatives?
EG: A lot of it has to do with looking at what is available to the students. You start there, and then we start looking at what’s been the feedback. So one of the things I’ve been asking about is surveys, [specifically] intercept surveys where we could just ask questions, like four or five questions [in person] and get your feedback. Between that and the food committee, we’re going to have ideas about what we can do.
On the retail side, some of the things that we’re talking about are pop-ups, [brand] takeovers. We’re also talking about using residential [spaces] as an incubator, as a retail incubator. Interesting, right? You know, could we do a takeover? Could we do a food cart? A pop-up? Wouldn’t it be really cool over at Science [Center] or over at Kohlberg? What if, in nice weather, we had chicken Philly sandwiches in one of those hot dog carts or something?
So just more options. We are looking at how to incorporate options into our current footprint, our space, and then we can dream a little bit.
RJ: You already spoke a bit about cost cutting and how that’s not actually going on. More in the abstract, then, does Swarthmore’s wealth, given the fact that it’s a pretty small school but has a very large endowment, allow Dining Services to think about efficiency and cost cutting less urgently?
EG: No, it’s more so about accountability.
One of the things that I’m working on is, if I’m saying that I’m spending X amount per plate out there for serving students, what I need to do is demonstrate that there’s a system of checks and balances to ensure that from ordering the food to receiving the food, to inventorying, storing the food, preparing the food, that I am tracking it, because it’s your money. That’s basically it. Making sure that if I’m spending this, that I can show that I’m spending that. Part of what we do is we tie our inventory into our food production, [which is] actually a work in progress right now. But that’s what the school has asked me to do, to make sure that we’re strengthening [the inventory-food production process]. So yeah, if you talk to the staff, we’re doing things differently because some of those controls have not been in place. It’s not about cutting; it’s about accounting. If you get audited, you have to prove your numbers. I have to be able to pass an audit.
RJ: Following up with that, do you think those numbers, the information from that new accounting process, will eventually become public information?
EG: We don’t hide. I don’t hide anything, and it’s not for me to do that. I will tell you, it’s very generous; [Swarthmore has] the highest plate cost I’ve ever seen.
So when I talk about lobster, when I talk about the quality of cuts of meat that you have, [it’s reflected] in the plate cost. I mean, you could spend that much money and not have any controls; then it doesn’t show up on the plate. You’re spending all that money, but hey, it doesn’t look like that on the plate. Well, we’re spending that money, and it looks like that on the plate.
RJ: This is going to be a bit of a pivot, but I want to ask about Brett Day’s tragic accident. Since Brett’s accident, what additional staff safety and training protocols have been implemented?
EG: So I got with the chef, and it was just really sad. But yes, there is pulper [a machine used to process compost waste and extract liquid from food mass] cleaning and maintenance, so there’s multiple things. It’s not just the dish room.
But on the machine, there is a new cleaning SOP [standard operating procedure]. There is an SOP on what to do if equipment is stuck in the dish machine. There’s also a dish machine setup and breakdown so that everybody has that [information].
Then they basically went through individual trainings with the team to break down how the machine operates.
RJ: Before you arrived?
EG: Well, this was going on [when I arrived]. Another piece of equipment that we have is the pulper. Well, that can be heavy, so I went back and made sure we got an SOP for that too. So yes, there’s been protocols put in place.
RJ: I think a natural transition, then, is asking how feedback from longtime staff is being incorporated into your ongoing plans, future plans, as well as how you’re highlighting the legacy that Linda McDougall left after thirty-four years at Swarthmore.
EG: Absolutely. I thanked her. She came in this summer. We did some cooking classes for the Chester Children’s Choir, and I got to meet her and thank her myself for what a great program, what a great place, what great staff, right? You know, she was able to really build a tight-knit group, and so that is one of the things that I’m trying to do.
One of the things about trust is you have to have consistent behavior over time, and you have to communicate. So, one of the things that I’m initiating, and we’ve already started this summer, is a monthly all-staff meeting. A lot of it is about how we’re doing, what’s going on, and what’s coming up. It’s not a training. It’s not a ‘what you should do.’ You know what I’m saying. It’s nothing like that. It’s about recognition. Every month we have birthdays, anniversaries. We allow the team to shout out to each other. We’re going to have some awards that we’re recognizing people [for]. So managers will also call people out. That creates that camaraderie, that trust, where you recognize the hard work that our people are doing, and you take time to say thank you. I think that’s critical.
As part of that, we’re also soliciting their input. I can tell you that there’s a couple of things that we’re already talking about. I was talking with a cook, and we were talking about tempura fish because she was going to make a fish taco, and she was struggling because she had to thaw it out, and it became a wet fish. When you’re frying fish, [it must be dry to prevent oil splatter]. So with that input, we were like, okay, so now when the fish comes in on the truck, the truck guys, instead of putting it in the freezer, they’re putting it over to the prep area, and they’re putting it on sheet pans so that it doesn’t get refrozen so that they don’t have thaw it. That kind of input makes changes. That’s a small input, right? But there are a number of those little things that they’re starting to learn [about me].
Part of it is being consistent, and really taking their input, and they can see, ‘Wow, he actually used my ideas.’ So it’s trust. It takes time. Again, I’m in my third week of school, right?
[People ask me,] ‘Hey, how do you like it, Erich?’ I really like it, really enjoying it. [I’ve been told] ‘The team seems to be pretty happy with you,’ and, well, that’s good to hear. I think the team has embraced where I’m coming from, which is really their involvement.
So I’ve got the students giving me input. I’ve got the staff giving me input. It makes my job a lot easier.
RJ: So I fielded questions from people in the DCC and sent them to you as ‘Student Interest.’ You already touched on the question about when flank steak will be served again, so I’ll skip that. The next question, then, is about how takeout from Yangtze Inn in Media is no longer available at Sci Cafe during weeknights.
EG: More variety. They had the same menu for four years. Part of [the change] is there’s a lot of swipes [being used at Sci Cafe], and you don’t have any variety. The other part is, [Yangtze Inn] delivers early, and we have to hold it a long time. That also concerned me.
Some of these changes were supposed to have happened when we transitioned years ago, but it just hadn’t yet. So I decided I can pick that up, and so, talking to the team, we worked it out. But variety is the big driver, and the other one was we were holding the food a lot longer than I wanted.
RJ: Then I’m assuming variety is the same reason that Kohlberg Indian food is only available on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
EG: What does Kohlberg do?
RJ: For lunchtime, they have Indian food in takeout boxes like curry and rice. I think it’s from Shere-E-Punjab in Media.
EG: So what’s available on Mondays and Wednesdays?
RJ: I’m not sure. I haven’t been on Mondays and Wednesdays, but I know on Tuesdays and Thursdays they have it, and it used to be all five days of the work week.
EG: I’ll have to ask. I don’t want that empty on Mondays and Wednesdays.
RJ: Okay. Then my last question. Why have the Free Zone meals not changed between lunch and dinner?
EG: That was driving me nuts. They change now. I don’t know what happened in the way they designed that, but that got addressed really quickly. That whole station is being reinvented, actually.
There’s just been a growing number of our student family that needs meals that need more attention, and so we’re having to figure it out. We’re actually looking at some of the stations and saying, ‘Okay, is there a way that I can simplify one of these stations so I can take the staff and move them over to the Free Zone?’ Because we need to do more for the individuals that need things a specific way.
RJ: I see.
EG: I’m here because I want to be. Swarthmore is a very special place. The community is the mission; I don’t have to serve shareholders and the community. Why are we here? We’re here to meet the needs of the students, and some of them are unique. We understand some of them have late-night practice or late-night commitments, and so we have to stay up until 9:30, Monday through Thursday. We don’t always like to do that, but hey, why are we here? And when we bring it back to that, and because people love Swarthmore so much, they say, okay, we can meet this challenge. Let’s have the department be at the same level of excellence as the rest of the campus.
