Thursday, September 02, 1999
School cafeteria's gone; cafe is in
BY SUE KIESEWETTER
Enquirer Contributor
UNION TOWNSHIP — A restaurant atmosphere and improved food have greeted students at Lakota Freshman School's cafeteria, and so far the reviews have been positive.
Students now dine in the Thunderbird Grill, which has a food court featuring a Taco Bar, Deli Express and other specialty food items. Each day, five types of pizza are offered, along with fresh fruit, salads, sandwiches, hamburgers, fries, a self-serve frozen yogurt machine and a variety of foods designed to whet the appetite of the most finicky student.
It's part of a plan to revamp the drab, institutional-looking cafeterias in Lakota's schools, said Treva Whitlock, director of child nutrition for the district.
""We want to treat our students ... as you would customers because that's what they are,” Ms. Whitlock said. “They don't have to buy their lunch here. It's a choice.”
The revamped cafeteria features booths with red or green tabletops, and the 36 traditional tables set in rows have been replaced with round tables designed to seat seven. Smaller square tables seat four. Awnings and signs will be installed this week. There'a also a jukebox, and the school plans to add a patio area with picnic tables.
Kids take notice
“It's more like a restaurant-type atmosphere,” said Willie Lawless, 14. “We squeeze everyone in. I like it a lot. It's better than what we were used to.”
Making cafeterias more inviting and less institutional is becoming more common, said Phyllis Griffith, president of the American School Food Service Association and food service director of the Columbus Public Schools.
“We want to try to create an environment that's pleasant for students to eat in and create a system that gives them optimum time for lunch.”
Students at Lakota already are noticing that service is speedier. On a recent day, 375 students got their food within 10 minutes. At times last year, it took 22 minutes to go through the food lines, Principal Michael Hord said. And students have only 30 minutes for lunch.
The new arrangement also is paying off with some unexpected benefits.
“We found student behavior has really improved,” Mr. Hord said.
“It feels more like a restaurant, and the kids act more like they're in one. The din in here has gone down dramatically.”
Bigger variety
In Mason Schools, food courts also offer middle and high school students more choices, said Shelly Benesh, district spokeswoman. When the middle school was expanded a year ago, a second serving area was opened. In both buildings, students have a daily offering of pizza, Mexican food, salads and fresh sandwiches.
“There's more diversity in schools in terms of ethnicity and racial,” Ms. Griffith said. “We want to meet the needs and desires of all groups with a variety of foods. They're getting more ethnic foods outside of school.”
In Fairfield, elementary school students have a choice of three entrees daily. Middle school, freshmen and senior high students have those plus a daily offering of salad, pizza, several noncarbonated beverages, and specialty items, such as Johnsonville brats.
Prices kept down
“We've got a group of head cooks willing to change,” said Jim Kuechenmeister, director of child nutrition for Fairfield Schools.
“We go to a lot of food shows. The key is doing things differently. We're finding we're selling more lunches, and we haven't raised prices in four years.”
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