MASBOMay 18, 2011

Nutritionally &

Financially Sound

Needham Public SchoolsFood Service Program

Ruth GriffinFood & Nutrition Services Director

• Enrollment: 5300• 2010 Sales: $1.6 million• Expenses: Labor: 45%

Food: 45%

Supplies & Svcs: 10%

• Free & Reduced: <6%• Lunch Participation: 61% • Lunch price: Elem: $2.00

2ndry: $2.25, $2.75, $3.00

Needham Public Schools info:

Key Strategies

• Labor • POS• Focus on Nutrition & Choices• Marketing & Customer

Service• Build the program• Financial Details

Labor• Efficient: (High MPLH)

Needham district avg: 20-21 MPLH

Needham range: 17-27

Industry standard: 16-20

(for my size schools / type service)

MPLH = Meals per Labor Hour:(A productivity index for school foodservice programs)

Number of meals or Meal EquivalentsTotal number of paid labor hours

Labor, continued

• Have a GREAT staff + keep them HAPPY

• Hire people with potential, good attitude, & good work ethic (always as sub first)

• Competitive wages (on high end)

• Treat staff well

• Be involved in their work

• Encourage them to have fun at work

Have a POS system **• This makes a huge difference! - worth the

inve$tment

• Makes it easy for students to spend $

• Easy for parents to deposit money

• Parents trust it

• Communicate well about how it works, and balances, etc

• In 2004, 2 elem’s got POS: 1. 51 58% Participation increased2. 48 60% while other elem’s

stayed the same

The POS touch screen / register

Student account, picture, balance, & sales screen

Focus on nutrition & choices

• I am an RD and a mom

• I believe in Balance

• I believe kids should get healthy food at school.. that they’ll eat!

• Always have the best interest of the kids in mind

• Stay ahead of the curve– Mass Nutrition Law (competitive foods)– Proposed USDA food guidelines

Focus on fruits and veggies

• Needham minimum daily standard:• 3 cut fruits• 2-3 whole fruits• 1 canned / commodity fruit• Bag of mini carrots available every day

- with lite ranch or hummus

• Menued salad or hot vegetable every day

• Allow unlimited fruits and vegetables• Try new salad and veg recipes often

Focus on Fruits and Veggies

Focus on Fruits and Veggies

High School Fruit and Salad options

Focus on Fruits and Veggies

Focus on nutrition & choices- continued

• Have lots of entrée choices – Elem 7– Middle 10-12– HS >25

• Each year, make new healthier changes to the program- what we’ve done:

– Limited ice cream sales to Fridays only– Eliminated sports drinks– Limit / eliminate snacks– A-List snacks only (meet MAFHK Guidelines)

– Whole grains breads (we’re halfway there)

– Gradual healthy changes do not hurt the program !

Salad Lover at Mitchell Elementary school

Focus on nutrition & choices- continued

Be involved in school & community health initiatives

– Eat Well Be Fit

– SHAC

– Ally with Wellness and Nursing

– Cooperative Rapport with Administrators and teachers

• Make opportunities to ‘talk up’ food service program– Letters on back of menus – School committee presentations– Local cable TV

• School Foodservice Program

– Local paper- write articles• National Nutrition Month• Nutrition 101

– At meetings

Marketing & Customer Service

Always work to increase participation % participation over the years

2003-4   2004-5 2005-6 2006-7 2007-8 2008-9 2009-10 2010-11

2ndry:                YTD

High School 37%   37% 38%MM POS 43%

new kitch/ café 49% 54% 55% 54%

Pollard MS 56%   60% 60%MM POS 64% 65% 65% 60% 62%

High Rock            New

School  76% 75%

Elem:                Consider KASE

Broadmeadow 51%NK POS 58% 53%

MM POS 51% 55% 55% 54% 54% 62%

Eliot 48%NK POS 60% 65%

MM POS 63% 66% 67% 66% 65% 67%

Hillside 67%   64% 63% 60%MM POS 66% 68% 69% 64% 69%

Mitchell 56%   56% 54% 55%MM POS 57% 57% 57% 54% 62%

Newman 46%   49% 51% 53%MM POS 55% 55% 55% 52% 62%

Total 52%   55% 55% 56% 59% 60% 62% 59% 62%

             

Marketing & Customer Service- continued

• Be NICE to kids

• Do taste tests

• Try very hard not to run out of choices– Care about the last kid in line

• FS staff should taste the food every day!

• Be good to Teachers / Administrators

(They are PR for food services, too)– Nice food options– POS lunch accounts

Kindergarten Orientation

• They are our future customers

• One day in June– (Free) milk, fresh fruit, graham crackers

• Introduce ‘rising first graders’ to the lunch program– POS / PIN numbers– Going thru line– Lots of advanced communication

Marketing & Customer Service- continued

All of the above with….an eye on Financial Details

• Use bids and quotes

• Monitor inventory

• Review all invoices for proper pricing and credits due

• Prepare an annual budget

• Prepare and analyze financial reports

Needham Public Schools

In summary:

Hire good people + keep them happy and working efficiently

Get POS

Customer focus

Stay ahead of the nutrition curveMake positive changes- keep it new

Promote the program

Watch bottom line, but spend for quality

Pay attention to details

Have fun at work!