If you are a student at Rensselaer who is not currrently on a meal plan, you likely purchase food regularly in the Rathskel-lar level of the Union. Have you ever thought about how decisions are made that make your food available for purchase and who makes them?
Rob McIntosh, director of Un-ion food servic-es, oversees all of the Union’s food operations and is responsible for meeting the needs of student customers. His job functions include managing how food is served, ensuring that staff are properly uniformed, and making sure that the Union’s food services adhere to regulations and company policies. “I really do like it. It’s a nice challenge for me. It’s nice when you start planning [your schedule] and everything falls into place. There’s a lot of satisfaction that follows.”
Managing the operations involved in the Union food services can be demanding. “There’s a lot of work. You work an average of fifty to sixty hours a week.”
McIntosh was named director of Union food services last August to replace Rick Jones, who had left RPI to join the food services staff at SUNY Albany. “There’s a lot more pressure [with the] full responsibilities ... There’s a level of satisfaction [with] working here at the Union,” said McIntosh. “[My coworkers] are a good group of people.”
McIntosh graduated in 1985 from Johnson Wells Culinary Institute in Prov-idence, R.I. He then serv-ed as a banquet chef at the Ramada Hotels for two years before joining the Sodexho staff at Rens-selaer in 1987. “I like the calendar year of [the school]—the changes from August to May. I enjoy the students on campus. The student life—I guess it keeps you feeling young,” said McIntosh.
Prior to being named food services director at the Union, McIntosh had served as director of the Commons Dining Hall. He has devoted his career in food services to meeting the needs of his customers. “I like serving and meeting customer expectations and satisfying costs [at] all ends and meeting company policies in the pro-gress,” said McIntosh.
Mcintosh lives in Greenfield Center, N.Y. with his wife Donna and his two children, Morgan Ashley, 10, and Corbin Philips, 8. During his free time, Mcintosh enjoys playing golf and spending time with his kids.
