J. Michael Floyd is the executive director of Food Services at UGA. The Red & Black caught up with him to discuss concerts, his favorite meal, and why he likes checkers over chess.

Where did you go to college?
I went to school at Valdosta State.

And you started out in food services there, correct?
Yes, I did. As a freshman at Valdosta State, I got a job in the cafeteria as a beverage worker, [...] and in the first quarter I got promoted to student supervisor. Then at the end of my freshman year I got promoted to student manager, and I managed the entire student work force in the cafeteria.

So, the big question is: If Valdosta State were to play Georgia in Football, who would you choose?
I would have to be for Georgia.

Checkers or Chess?
I would play checkers … Checkers is a game that I used to play a lot with my grandfather and when I think of Checkers I think of him.

What was the first concert you went to?
Jim Croce was probably my favorite concert, and I got to see him maybe about three months before he got killed in an airplane crash … [I saw him] in Augusta, Ga., and he’s always been one of my favorite musicians.

After you were married, where did you go on your honeymoon?
I went to Helen, Ga., to the mountains. At that time, back in the ’70s, Helen was, sort of, the new village. It’s sort of worn down now, but back then it was sort of new.

If you had one last meal to eat, which dining hall would you choose to eat that at?
If I had one last meal, I would make it a progressive meal, and I would eat it at all four of them.

Then, what would you say would be your favorite meal to eat if it were your last?
There’s a lot of things that I like, but I would probably say that I would start off with dessert. I love desserts, and my all-time favorite dessert is the eclair squares, which is a Taste of Home recipe. I love them, and I also love the poppy seed chicken recipe. I also like the strawberry salad that we have on the menu now.
I think I would just sample a lot of different things because there’s a lot of great things in the dining commons. From Giorgio’s pizza to the Mongolian Grill at O’House, to the salad bar at Bolton. And let’s see here, oh, the smoothies at the Village Summit.

Last year and the year before there were videos about the dining halls (Dat Bolton Jam and Snellebrate) that went up on youtube. Did you see any of those?
I actually did see both of them … I think it was a compliment that the students wanted to do a video about the dining commons. It told me that they were proud of the facilities they had on campus. Unfortunately one of them had more language that my generation is more uncomfortable with. But I thought both of them were great and I think my staff enjoyed it, too.