Brian Polak works the “Ultimate Baja” station in the Rensselaer Union’s McNeil Room Dining Room.

Rensselaer Union’s Brian Polak Wins National Customer Service Award

The next time you visit Ultimate Baja in the Rensselaer Union for some burritos, tacos, nachos, or taco salads, your meal will be served up by someone who has recently won a national customer service award.

Brian Polak has been with Rensselaer for nearly 12 years. Recently, he was recognized as a “Sodexo Experience Award Winner,” beating out more than 30,000 other contenders from the unit, district, regional, and divisional levels. The award recognizes individuals for that have gone above and beyond the call of duty (Sodexo superstars).

“Brian is the epitome of a great Sodexo employee,” said Joyce Schoenig, retail manager for Rensselaer Union Dining. “He is committed to his job, and he is always thinking of ways to improve his department, going the distance for his career. Brian is also an employee of great action and just a few well-placed words, and his contributions can be seen and enjoyed by the hundreds of students he provides with amazing customer service weekly. We are so proud of him for winning this award, because he is so deserving of this honor.”

Feeling “honored and surprised,” Polak credits this success and recognition to his dedication and efficiency, and was surprised about the national recognition win. “My main goal is to make the people I serve happy, which is easy to do. I enjoy my job so much and my co-workers and the customers are my favorite part of the job.”

Beyond work, Polak says that he enjoys spending his time with his family and four children, who range in age from 18 years to just 1 month old, in addition to working on home-improvement projects.