Faren Alston

Marketing Director @Aramark

Columbia, SC, US

Responsible for the marketing efforts of 6 residential dining restaurants, 25 retail dining locations, and campus catering. Brand portfolio includes national (Chick-fil-A, Panda Express, Panera Bread, Starbucks), proprietary, and local brand concepts totaling $51 million dollars in top line revenue - Develop impactful meal plan sales campaigns that have allowed USC to hit record meal plan sales five of the seven years that Aramark has held the contract and have reduced meal plan revenue attrition from fall to spring by 10%- Craft all meal plan, dining program, annual pricing increase, and client business review presentations and collateral to be presented to campus stakeholders - Collaborate with operators to execute creative and dynamic special events and programs- Manage guest satisfaction feedback platform to assess the performance of the dining program - Facilitate dining committees, focus groups, and surveying to gain feedback about the dining program and formulate action plans based on results - Conduct pricing and product mix analyses to grow top line revenue - Ensure pricing compliance through auditing processes across all retail concepts- Lead a dynamic team with oversight of social media, graphic design, sustainability, and health and wellness - Serve as the Service Excellence Champion for the Collegiate Hospitality Southeast Region, advocating for an elevated guest experience through training and execution - Vital in the implementation of Grubhub mobile ordering, Grubhub Ultimate kiosk ordering, Starship Delivery robots, and Apex Food Locker technology on campus - Spearheaded USC being nationally recognized for its dining program in publications such as Campus Dining Today, U.S. News and World Report, Food Service Director Magazine, Food Management Magazine, Niche.com, The Daily Meal, CollegeRank.com, and Spokin - Assisted in acquiring a fifteen-year dining contract with the University of South Carolina

George Mason University

Bachelor of Science in Marketing; Bachelor of Science in Management

Troy University

Master of Business Administration - MBA