THE ENGAGEMENT
We like to provide opportunities for teams to collaborate and utilize each team member’s talents. We recently challenged schools to put their teams’ creative minds together and literally think out-of-the-box. Teams were given the opportunity to create recipes from a mystery box of ingredients. They’ve seen it done on cooking shows and now it was their chance to give it a try. This process encouraged teams to work together on recipe creation and submit recipe videos to be judged. This was fun not only for the team creating the recipe, but also for the students and staff who got to be involved as the first taste testers! THE MENU Build it and they will come….that is a well thought out menu! What foundational steps can you focus on to ensure success? Read the room….and your customer. Easy surveys can be a great tool in engaging students as collaborators and supporters of menu innovation. It takes a village. Share the responsibility of making the menu with your staff. Give everyone the opportunity to speak up and add suggestions. Teamwork makes the dream work when everyone is involved…even the quiet staff members when asked often have wonderful contributions to share! Win as a team (and sometimes lose as a team) - but you’ll never win unless you play the game!! Getting involved and taking ownership of foods served sparks a passion and enhances pride in every member of your team, along with appreciating the important role they have in menu success. Be brave enough to try, and humble enough to step up to bat even if you strike out a few times! Variety and choice are key to building a quality menu. Seasonal menu changes can keep a menu from getting routine and mundane. Incorporate fun names for the entrees or other menu items. The fun names may spark some interest to get the students into your cafeteria serving line. Think about conducting regular theme days and try days to get both students and staff excited. Taste testing is a great way to find out if an item might be successful on the menu or not. Don’t just limit taste testing to one building or specific grade levels - what might not work in one building may be a hit in another. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 4 ] [ 5 ] [ 6 ] [ 7 ]
Service with a smile! Check 1-2-3
When a student is welcomed with a smile and a “good morning” or “enjoy your meal” they may feel more inclined to come back, not just for the food, but for the friendliness they feel. If you’re happy to be there, they will be too! Have some fun with your coworkers! Dress up your cafeteria and your team on school spirit days and holidays, it shows the students that you are interested in what’s going on in the building. Smiles and some laughs (and even some fun theme music) make your menu and team come to life. March is not only National Nutrition Month - it also gives us a chance to spark joy with some St. Patty’s Day shenanigans - did someone say “Lucky Tray” day?
Don’t be your own best kept secret!! Share your team’s “dream” loud and proud. You never know who you might inspire or when you might spark the next staff member to eagerly join the winning team!
Meet the Pisanick Partners leadership team
(From left to right) Marge Robison, MPH, RDN-LDN; Sarah Carlson, MS, RD-LD; David Pisanick, Co-Founder, CFO; Maureen Pisanick, RDN- LDN Founder,
CEO; Tina Hastings, Operations Specialist; Gina Nash, Operations Specialist (not pictured)
Pisanick Partners is a nutrition and operations based consulting firm with decades of experience in Child Nutrition. We have refined our approach through creation of cycle menus, training and development of staff, and implementing strategies that take on the task of not only attaining nutritional excellence, but also financial success in the K-12 environment. Our experience not only supports a school district in meeting all state and federal mandates for implementing the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs, but also the menu creation with an eye for detail and meticulous organization. The objective is to quickly and accurately evaluate, analyze and organize a district’s nutritional program to insure compliance and easy on-going maintenance.
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