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Case Study: Increased Breakfast & Lunch Participation at Evergreen Local School District
School Bio
The Challenge
During the 2022-23 school year, Evergreen was experiencing low student participation in their breakfast & lunch programs. A review by the district’s administrative team revealed:
The need to have more students consuming breakfast, especially K-5.
At the middle and high school cafeterias, students expressed a desire for more selections at lunch.
Meals that appealed more in the way of visual presentation, smell, & taste.
Finally, the district’s administration was seeking improved communication between their business office and the food service company.
The Solution
In response to the district’s challenges, Variety submitted a Marketing & Merchandising Plan that included the following:
Universal Grab-N-Go Breakfast for elementary students. Meals are retrieved at the main entrance of the building and consumed in classrooms.
Restaurant style food concepts such as: Norm’s Kitchen Table, Los Jefes Mexican Grill, Motor City Grill, Caddy’s Chicken, Mitten Noodle Shop, La Famiglia Pizzeria, Dolly’s Garden Salad & Produce Bar.
New station signage.
A culinary trained onsite chef manager to deliver “Cook from Scratch” recipes as well as improvement on how food is displayed and presented on the plate.
Variety added a district manager to provide support and ongoing training for the food service staff as well as setup monthly performance meetings with administration.
The Result
In the first month, PK-5 Breakfast participation increased by 250% and lunch participation among student’s grades 6-12 increased 17%. The administration also noticed that more faculty were purchasing lunch from the district’s food program instead of packing their own.
“We immediately noticed an improvement in the ‘Look, Smell, & Taste’ of the food. Our older students now have 5 choices each day instead of 2, more teachers are eating the school lunch, and operational support has been great.”
- Dolores Swineford, Assistant Superintendent
To learn more about how Variety FoodServices can assist in bettering your school's lunch options, use the "contact sales" button below or call us at (586) 756-8100
