Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.

Meals Plus Monthly E-Newsletter - November 2014

How Thinking "Out of the Bag" Increased Breakfast Participation at
Liberal High School (KS)

When USD 480 Liberal School District (KS) realized the breakfast participation at Liberal High School was not only low, but extremely low, they knew they would have to approach the situation in a unique way. Of the 70% of students that qualified for free or reduced meals, only 11% were taking advantage of the breakfast program for various reasons. The solution would have to be extremely efficient, not cause tardiness or class disruptions, and would of course have to meet the USDA nutrient standards for Final Rule.

The Child Nutrition Staff developed a "grab and go" breakfast bag complete with customized kiosks at the most heavily trafficked common areas at the school. These "Second Chance Breakfast" kiosks allowed students to quickly purchase or pickup a bag that included: a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, sausage biscuit or muffin, plus Go-Gurt® or string cheese, and milk, juice or apple slices. And participation did increase, but not immediately. It took a promotional campaign that included posters and videos from the school's Graphic Arts and Video Production students to really put the campaign over the edge. And within eight weeks, the Second Chance Breakfast kiosks were selling 300 meals daily, compared to the 28 meals when the program initially launched.

Sneak Peek of "The 5 P's of Promoting Your Child Nutrition Program"

The fifth installment in the Meals Plus White Paper Library is a complete cheat sheet for marketing your program and in turn, increasing participation in the lunchroom. "The Five P's of Promoting Your Child Nutrition Program: Product, Placement, Promotion, Price and People" will be available for download this winter, but in the meantime, here is a sneak peak of the white paper.

Kurt Chou, School Nutrition Director for Los Nietos School District in Whittier, California has increased participation by trying to change the image of the program. First, Kurt increased his marketing efforts. He has implemented the use of salad bars and updated the point-of-sale system for efficiency. "Second Chance Breakfast" has been implemented to offer students an opportunity to get breakfast if they are not hungry or present when the first breakfast was served. Kurt also felt that it was important to include his staff in the reimaging of the program and purchased uniforms for his employees.

Other Meals Plus White Papers include examining the financial health of your program, tips to increase the speed of your lunchlines and managing your inventory. Click here to download any of those today and keep an eye on our blog and e-newsletter for when "The Five P's" will be available for download!

Need Feedback from Parents?
But Lack the Time and Resources?

School districts can gain valuable input from parents and students with custom online surveys from Meals Plus. While many districts lack the time and resources to gather information from their "customers," Meals Plus makes it easy to do just that.

Districts only have to provide the survey questions and email addresses for those they would like to be surveyed, and Meals Plus handles the rest. Survey results will be delivered in an easy-to-read format, so districts can quickly begin implementing changes that will increase participation in the lunchroom.

Contact us today for more information on custom web surveys!

Easily Manage Student Eligibility
with Free & Reduced Software

Meals Plus Free or Reduced meal software is an automated system that makes managing student eligibility easy and accurate. Direct certification is simplified, a 'matching' feature makes it easier to group household members, letters to send home can be generated in multiple languages and so much more. And thanks to the centralized database, student meal statuses in point of sale are updated in real-time!

Request a free cafeteria software trial or call 1-800-541-8999 for more information.

Regents School of Austin Made Lunchtime Easier By Switching to Meals Plus

Before switching to Meals Plus, Regents School of Austin (TX) was having major issues with their point of sale system. It was difficult to use, technical support was slow, and parents couldn't view what their children were purchasing. When their previous vendor informed them of some big changes that would require a lot of parent and district involvement, Regents decided to switch to theeasier-to-use Meals Plus system.

Lunch lines are moving faster now at Regents due to the many improvements made by switching to Meals Plus. The keypad is far more accurate and confidential, making it quicker for students to enter in their numbers. The custom color-coded menu groups make it easier for the volunteers to see, allowing the lunch line to flow with ease. Their reports are also now much easier to run since the switch. Regents also applauds Meals Plus' technical support stating, "Meals Plus' support team is fantastic."

Not only does Regents School of Austin think highly of Meals Plus, but their previous point of sale system's vendor does too! After being informed that Regents was switching to Meals Plus, they replied, "If it was anyone else, I would say you would be back. But with Meals Plus, I know we will never see you again," knowing Regents would remain happy with Meals Plus cafeteria management system.

Customer Spotlight

Kristi Rhone, Grandview ISD (TX)

Kristi Rhone is the Assistant Superintendent at Grandview Independent School District in Grandview, Texas. Grandview ISD utilizes Meals Plus Point of Sale, Student Eligibility and Menu Planning software to manage their child nutrition department. Get to know Kristi in our latest Customer Spotlight and click here to see other Meals Plus Customer Spotlights!

The Dish: How long have you been using Meals Plus?
Kristi Rhone: We implemented Meals Plus the last two days of the '13-'14 school year.

TD: What duties and responsibilities does your position entail?
KR: As Assistant Superintendent, I supervise the food service program and director of our school lunch program.

TD: What aspects of your position do you enjoy the most?
KR: I enjoy the interaction I have with students and teachers. My job allows me to participate daily in the 'school business' of educating children!

TD: What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
KR: I enjoy vacationing in tropical areas with family and am an avid reader.

TD: What is your favorite "like" about Meals Plus and/or how has it helped your operations?
KR: We absolutely love the customer friendly aspect of Meals Plus so far. Our training was fantastic – relevant and concise. We look forward to an efficient program next year lead by Meals Plus!