Merchandising plan is key to Illinois manager's success

Food and Nutrition, Oct, 1985 by Eunice Bowman, Michael Fluharty

The focus is on sports in this school, so on any given day during football season one will find Cougar Pizza (named for the football team) on the menu. During National Education Week, the school hosts the Schaumburg Rotary Luncheon. This gives the school food staff the opportunity to introduce their program to business leaders in the community.

Palatine High School started the soup-and-sandwich bar, the potato bar, and the once-a-year ice cream bar. Palatine has the most flexible off-campus policy in the school district and the most fast food chains nearby for students to patronize.

However, participation in the lunch program has increased from 400 to 700 per day while enrollment has been steadily decreasing. "Merchandising has really paid off for this school,' says Jonen.

The staff works harder here to keep the students in school for lunch. When an ethnic bar is featured, bright decorations adorn the cafeteria. Palatine High also boasts the honor of having received the Illinois School Food Service Association's Karat Award given for providing a nutritious and quality school lunch to students.

Hoffman High School's lunch program is the fastest growing in the district because the community is the top growing community in the district. The varied menu offered to students keeps participation high.

Students from the advanced food class work in the cafeteria as part of their lab training. The fresh baked goods are the big attraction here. "At a recent dinner,' says Jonen, "the food service staff served store-bought bread and were chided by the attendees wanting to know where "the good stuff' was. They're spoiled by the excellent baked goods produced by the cafeteria staff.'

Hoffman High School is one of 212 schools nationwide and one of four schools in Illinois named as a model school in the 1984-1985 National Secondary School Recognition Program. The program is sponsored by the U.S. National Commission on Excellence in Education.

Schaumburg High School students like what they get for a dollar in the regular school lunch line. More than 1,200 meals are served in this line each day. The food service staff spend much of their time planning the menus for this food line.

"A favorite food here is pizza, and that is because it is homemade,' says Jonen. "The food service cooks make it from scratch starting with the crust, homemade sauce, and USDA cheese.'

Managers plan more changes

With a solid record of achievement behind them, Jonen and the staff in District 211 have ambitious goals. The number one goal is keeping the kids and the revenue in the schools.

"The only way you can keep lunch prices down is to increase participation,' says Jonen. "The more food you prepare, the less it costs to prepare it.'

She has more ideas for attracting kids. "Next year, we will offer multiple entree lunches. For example, on the Mexican food bar, the four entree items might be tacos, enchiladas, tostadas, and burritos, and the students can choose two.'

The key to a successful program is keeping kids interested. "And to keep kids interested,' says Jonen, "you must offer them something interesting.'