Charles Robles anticipates making positive changes as new food service director

While food was being dished out to ravenous students, administrators were in the process of hiring a new manager; Charles Robles has recently taken over as Food Service Director and loves the new energy that Mabee offers.

“Trinity is a change of pace. I came from a business- dining world, like a lot of complexes like Frost Bank or  San Antonio Water System (SAWS), so it’s nice to see a different type of service,” Robles said.

Workers at Mabee such as Erica Guzman, an office assistant, can attest to Robles’ experience previously working in a familar area.

“So far I think he’s doing a great job. He’s very stern, and when he says something is going to happen, he follows through with it and makes sure we are all following the rules and regulations,” said Guzman. “Most of all, he makes sure that he treats everyone the same. There are no favorites. Charles treats everybody with respect, which is great.”

Behind the serving lines, cook Augustin Rosas admires all Robles has has done to make sure everyone is safe and can get their job done.

“We have meetings every week and we talk about safety issues and anything happening in the kitchen. We also talk about what is working well and what we need to improve on. The meetings always end on a joke or a song to end on a light note, too,” Rosas said.

In addition to maintaining current procedures, Robles is changing a few things in order to maximize customer satisfaction.

“I would love to change the food to give you a nicer quality. I’m realizing students here are a lot more exposed to food, more than they were back when I was in school. I come from a fine-dining background, like resort sand hotels, so I would love to kick it up a bit,” Robles said.

The Mabee staff has noticed changes and how they’ve affected their environment.

“He notices everything and making sure everything gets done, and that we’re pulling our weight as well to help him,” said Guzman.

Robles also visits Mabee during the day to help out, as well as to see first-hand how policies and procedures are being implemented in the workplace.

“There’s more discipline, which is good to have in a place like this. He helps out in the kitchen if we ever need it and makes sure that things are running smoothly,” Rosas said.

Robles also anticipates incorporating changes based on the opinions of students.

“Going back to energy, when you work in those other environments, hotels are very taxing because you work long hours and holidays and weekends,” Robles said. “Here, the students have fresh ideas and fresh thoughts. It’s totally exciting to see the students and what they bring and how they bring a new vibe to what’s going on,” Robles said.