Building Blocks | March 2023

Building program success outside the kitchen

Can your food court environment be an essential building block for the success of your programs?

School nutrition programs are demonstrating success across the country with the variety of food being served to students.With that being said, no two school districts are the same and each district has that special “it” factor that makes them unique. One of the amazing things within school nutrition is the community of amazing school nutrition professionals who are always willing to help one another. Whether that comes in the form of answering questions on social media, networking with others at conferences or just picking up the phone and calling one another; there are endless ways to continue to improve your program. One essential building block for your program doesn’t even consist of what you can do in the kitchen. A building block for all school programs, at some point or another, will be your K-12 food court environment. Allow me to explain. The work you do in the kitchen is deservedly the highlight of your program. Everything after that is an added bonus. But making sure your K-12 Food Court is a warm,

inviting, and modern place for your students can’t be overlooked. Your students are spending many hours per week, per month, per year in that space. You can have the most amazing menu options in the world, but if your K-12 Food Court is drab, boring, and dull space your students will not want to be a part of it. The addition of school colors, logos, different table options, as well as some wall designs really add to your space. The first thing students do when they enter the food court is observe their surroundings. Imagine creating a K-12 Food Court that generates that “wow” response as soon as they step into that space. A space that students feel comfortable, a space that gets students excited each day, a space that students can be proud of. It’s an underrated and often overlooked building block, but should be at least one block in your school nutrition program’s success. Look into the possibilities of what your food court can look like in order to highlight your amazing school nutrition options for your students!

Conor Doyle

AmTab Manufacturing

Conor is actively involved in this school nutrition company who helps provide valuable insight on café modernization projects across the country. His favorite part about working with schools is knowing that students and staff will love their modernized spaces. Being able to transform ordinary environments to extraordinary ones that students love being a part of is amazing! Conor graduated from DePaul University with a bachelor’s degree in Marketing.

AmTab.com

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