School nutrition directors are facing a lot of uncertainty in K-12 cafeterias, but one of the constants is the need to drive student participation and revenue.

When schools can develop creative points-of-sale in spaces that are otherwise unused, nutrition programs can take big steps toward achieving this objective.

How?

It all starts with an idea followed by the solutions to make it happen. Whether it be a concessions cart outside the school gymnasium on a Friday night or a student-operated coffee kiosk serving lattés on a Monday morning, there are numerous opportunities to keep students on campus, generate revenue, and even provide some educational opportunities for students.

But it does take the right equipment, and that equipment needs to be versatile, mobile, and durable while also creating attractive-looking environments that will encourage sales.

Consider a Lakeside Mobile Merchandising Station

COFFEE & BEVERAGE KIOSK

Lakeside’s coffee and beverage kiosks are designed to pull in customers and make the sale of coffee and other beverages easy and profitable. Units are available with custom vinyl graphics that can match any school’s spirit, and durable mobility allows them to help provide service in the most remote areas of campus.

MART CART

For directors looking to move meal service to various areas of the school, including outside for socially distanced meal service to reduce the risk of Covid exposure, a mart cart is one of the most versatile units available. With different styles of over-shelves available, service can be even more versatile, as staff can serve both meals and grab-n-go snacks at the same time.

COMPACT MART CART

Schools looking for pared down service can put their foodservice capabilities on wheels with a compact mart cart, allowing K-12 school nutrition directors to develop a grab-n-go foodservice programs that can include both smaller meals and snacks. Because of the easy mobility, units can even be moved outside for safer service during the current Covid pandemic.

Lakeside can help schools move meals around

From grab-n-go meals to comprehensive coffee programs, Lakeside has a range of solutions to help school nutrition directors turn some of their wildest ideas into reality. Now more than ever it’s important to consider out-of-the-box foodservice options, and our team of experts can help determine just what those points-of-sale might look like with a little creativity and the solutions to make them reality.

As the new school year is now in full swing in most districts, some schools are opening their doors again for the first time in over a year. This is bringing challenges that range from dealing with variants to overcoming gaps in the supply chains with shortages ranging from paper products to school foodservice equipment to even the food itself.

What is causing the shortage?

Depending on the item, there are many reasons for the delay in products. Across the country, the effects of the current labor crisis are affecting production, shipping, and other areas. In the case of foodservice equipment, there are manufacturers that are experiencing shortages of their own, whether it’s raw materials, the people to process them, the shipping of those goods, or all of the above.

At the same time, suppliers are also experiencing delays to the coronavirus variants. This has a direct effect on production and distribution, as well.

Increasing Demand and Universal Service

As schools reenter the classrooms and cafeterias, the results are increases in demand. Because hybrid or virtual models didn’t translate to standard foodservice volumes, the return to schools has succeeded in increasing demand at the same time supplies are in short order.

Due to the pandemic and the financial burden placed on students and their families, many school districts across state lines decided to open up their lunch program, offering free lunches to all students in the building. This means that students who may not have eaten lunch at school are now participating, and the demand for food is often higher than it was in previous years. These cafeterias must have enough food on hand to feed every student, so larger orders are also being placed, overwhelming suppliers and causing a delay in supplies.

Beating the Lack of Supplies

Many school cafeterias in the Southern region and other parts of the country are looking for alternative options for getting these supplies and attempting to beat the supply crisis they are facing. In places like South Carolina, Florence School District 3 is looking to consider alternative distributors for their supplies, should their orders not be fulfilled based upon the menu produced. They also placed a large bulk order of food during the summer so that supplies that were delayed had time to arrive before they were necessary.

In Florida, the Lee County district is considering taking an approach to homemade cooking with recipes to buy the meat and produce they need as substitutes for the preplanned menu available to students. Their goal is to look ahead at the supplies they have and plan to improvise when necessary to always have enough food on hand, even if it isn’t exactly what was posted on the menu.

On the foodservice equipment side of service, some manufacturers are operating on more standard delivery times, and the team at Lakeside is proud to be one of those options. If you’re a district looking to revitalize your cafeteria or to better prepare it for uncertain service types, Lakeside and our suite of brands can help.

We’re seeing debates raging across the country regarding masking in schools.

From coast to coast and from one political persuasion to another, the doesn’t seem to be a lot of agreement on the best ways to move forward. While masking in the classroom may be the center of discussion, there’s one thing we know for sure. You can’t mask and eat.

For even the most cautious of school districts who require masking in the classrooms and in the hallways, mealtimes are still a tricky situation. In some cases, schools are moving the dining process outside where students can enjoy fresh air and ample space. But for those who live in colder climates, winter is coming.

How can school nutrition directors help prevent the spread of Covid-19 while still offering quality meals to all students?

One option is satellite service, often called in-class dining. On rainy days or when the weather gets cold, outside eating will not be an option. Directors and staff are going to have to adapt, and one way to do this is to consider delivering meals to students instead of the other way around.

Yes, students will still need to be unmasked in order to eat and drink, but by limiting service to smaller cohorts of only classmates, schools can help mitigate the spread of airborne viruses by restricting exposure to and from students in other classrooms and grade levels.

Satellite Service Requires the Right Vehicles for Delivery

Lakeside offers a range of equipment solutions to help school nutrition directors and staff deliver meals from a school’s kitchen directly to the classroom without sacrificing the three most important factors of foodservice.

SAFETY

Keeping foods in the ideal serving conditions is a critical part of food safety. Heated delivery systems can ensure food products will not slip into the Danger Zone during the delivery process.

QUALITY

If the worst-case scenario with maintaining ideal food temperatures is safety, quality isn’t that far behind. Serving cold chicken or soggy sandwiches is an easy way to turn students off from participating in the future.

CONVENIENCE & EFFICIENCY

For operators and staff, limiting the number of trips from the kitchen to the classroom can help optimize labor challenges while reducing delivery times for students. In school cafeterias, staffing and dining times are critical for everyone involved.

Schools are reopening across the country, and while we had hoped this year would look more like two years ago than last, we’re unfortunately seeing situations and challenges still caused by Covid.

Though every district and school has its own set of challenges, the one common factor is uncertainty as we look to reenter our classrooms and cafeterias.

Uncertainty isn’t the end of the world, though, especially if actions are taken that can help school nutrition programs to prepare. While some students might be entering school cafeterias as they did two years ago, in a county across the state, those students might be looking at eating outside as weather permits or even in their classrooms with smaller cohorts.

Simply put, many directors don’t know which direction to take, so it’s ideal to be prepared for a wide range of possibilities. Just consider some of the service types we’ve seen in the last 18 months and are likely to experience in the next 18 months.

CAFETERIA DINING

Some districts continue to serve meals in the cafeteria as they traditionally have. Even still, there are some modifications that are being considered. Spacing students out while in line and while seated is a top priority, as are providing sanitation stations to help reduce the spread of the virus. Moving students through lines quickly and setting up barrier partitions are other safety measures to consider.

IN-CLASS DINING

Many districts are serving both lunch and breakfast directly to students in the classroom. This type of hallway or satellite service keeps students in smaller groups, which allows schools and districts to isolate potential outbreaks and reduce the potential for spread.

CURBSIDE SERVICE

Many school districts and school nutrition professionals became our heroes during the Covid pandemic by continuing to serve our students, particularly those who are food challenged and in need. For those districts that are returning to virtual learning, curbside service will likely be part of the foodservice equation.

Enhance your school foodservice capabilities with the right equipment.

It’s a difficult proposition but preparing for or at least considering what the previous service types might require can help school nutrition directors move quickly if situations arise. One way to make this easier is with the right equipment and supplies.

Lakeside and our family of brands have developed school nutrition solutions that can help directors and staff during the current Covid pandemic and beyond. Our serving lines are designed to help increase the speed of service in any given year, but they can also help reduce potential exposure today. Likewise, while our serving carts enhance in-class and satellite service by preserving food quality, those same carts can be used to create additional points-of-sale once we’re back to normal.

Learn more about Lakeside and our suite of school nutrition solutions!