It’s essential that youngsters be served nutritious foods while in school. Since much of their day is spent at school, that means much of their nutritional needs must be supplied there. There are some trends that cafeterias can take note of to improve their service to school children and help take advantage of the good foods being offered. This also helps K-12 schools with revenue brought in through student payments and government reimbursements.
Back to School in Style
There are some definite trends now appearing in cafeterias everywhere, and many of them are following general social trends. For instance, many cafeterias offer more grab-n-go options. These include healthy snacks, sandwiches, and other short-order foods that can be conveniently consumed. Along those same lines, more do-it-yourself options are now being provided, which is a reflection of that same kind of choice at many restaurants, such as salad bars, taco bars, or soup bars.
Another trend is offering more vegetarian and plant-based options. Many young students don't flinch at being offered a meatless burger, almond milk, or bean chili. So providing these options mixes up the menu options while also providing choices to children who don't eat meat.
Functionality and Style in the Cafeteria
Delfield Serving Flexishield
The Delfield Serving Flexishield system lets cafeterias keep food protected from little hands and faces. Available as fixed or adjusted, Flexishields provide enough space for serving while letting students and staff a view of what's available.
Delfield Air Curtain Beverage Cooler
The Delfield Air Curtain Beverage Cooler can be a lifesaver when you need to keep milk and other beverages nice and cold before consumption. Allowing for 8, 12, or 16 crates to be stored inside for cooling, staff can move milk crates with products inside right from the walk-in cooler to the Delfield cooler, which helps save time and storage space. In addition to saving precious storage space, the cooler is able to be added to any point in the serving line (not just the beginning or end) to encourage the children to grab some milk, thus allowing for the schools to ultimately get their milk rebate. The Air Curtain Beverage Cooler meets or exceeds all current requirements set forth by the Department of Energy, so energy savings are also possible.
School Nutrition Starts in the Kitchen
Given the fact that nutrition is of the utmost importance in the cafeteria, it only makes sense to use cooking and baking equipment that loses none of that nutrition and makes prepared foods come out perfectly every time. The Convotherm 4 Deluxe Easy Touch models can deliver the kind of precise baking you need to produce mouth-watering snacks and entrees. Looking to steam food to help retain nutrition? Then let the CLEVELAND StreamCraft Ultra 10 help get steamed veggies and proteins to the students quicker.
