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Meals Plus Monthly E-Newsletter - December 2014

6 Ways Meals Plus Helped Improved Nauset Public Schools' Child Nutrition Operations

There are multiple features of Meals Plus' cafeteria software system that led Nauset Public Schools' Director of Food and Nutrition Services Susan Murray to choose it for her school district. Among the top of the list is that since it is internet-based, she is able to work from any location and get the same reports or information she needs at a moment's notice. And because Meals Plus has the ability to host the district's server, the district has increased flexibility and access to real-time information for their seven schools.

Susan and her team appreciate the system's ease of use, which makes training district staff stress-free. Since implementing Meals Plus during the 2012-2013 school year, they have been able to generate management reports on participation, financial information and tracking food choices. Because the system holds the free and reduced information discretely, the district has seen an increase in participation of free and reduced students at their high school. Day-to-day operations have been streamlined, decreasing the number of staff hours because of paperwork. Overall, Susan said, "...adding Meals Plus has been a huge benefit to all of our schools," and we are happy to have them as a member of the Meals Plus Family!

Nauset Public Schools' Child Nutrition Department uses Meals Plus Point of Sale, Menu Planning and Nutrient Analysis, Accountability and Free and Reduced software that is built especially for K-12 school districts. Request a free 30 day software trial here or call 1-800-541-8999 for more information!

Durham Public Schools (NC) Expands Breakfast in the Classroom Program

Congratulations to a member of the Meals Plus Family - DPS - for receiving a grant to expand their "breakfast in the classroom" program! The United Way of the Greater Triangle awarded DPS the $50,000 grant, which will be used to provide five schools with free breakfast in their classrooms.

While DPS currently offers free breakfast to all students in their district, the advantage of the "breakfast in the classroom" program greatly increases student participation. Over the next three years, it is projected that 25,000 students will receive free breakfast daily. With the ability to bring self-serve kiosks directly into the classrooms, students are able to settle in, eat a nutritious meal and start their school day on schedule. And studies have proven that students that start their day with breakfast have higher grades, focus and behave better, and have a sharper memory.

For more information on Durham Public Schools and their focus on eliminating childhood hunger, read the complete article here!

Lunchroom Promotion Idea
National Puzzle Day (January 29)

We want to help you increase participation in your cafeterias this year, and one way to market your child nutrition program is with awareness weeks and months, and promotional days, like National Puzzle Day, which is January 29, 2015. The School Nutrition Association's Promotional Calendar is full of great ideas – here are just some of them that will help Puzzle Day generate buzz for your cafeteria:

Bring puzzles for the
cafeteria tables or at special
stations for kids to try
Give menu items fun names like Jigsaw Juice and
Puzzle Pitas
Put stickers underneath some of the lunch trays and give
         the winning students games or puzzles as a prize. You
         can even see if a local arcade will provide free passes
         or tokens as prizes as well.
Have kids guess the number of treats or food items in
a jar.

You can also take advantage of free printable puzzles online! Print them for every student that goes through your lunchline. For more promotional ideas, check out the SNA Promotional Calendar and sign up for our e-newsletters.

Know What You're Serving With
Meals Plus Nutrition Analysis!

Meals Plus Nutrition Analysis software is easier to use than manual systems and other software. Nutrition Analysis includes food-based analysis, includes the nutrient standards from the Final Rule and is USDA-approved for use in conducting nutrient analysis. And with the ability to add local ingredients, you can offer students a wider variety of healthy options.

Request a free 30 day trial or email us for more information!

Second Sneak Peek from "The Five P's of Promoting Your Child Nutrition Program"

Meals Plus' free, downloadable white papers are tailored to K-12 school food services, and topics range from managing your child nutrition's finances to tips for increasing the speed of your cafeterias' lunchlines. Our next white paper is a comprehensive cheat sheet for promoting your child nutrition program, thus increasing participation in the lunchroom. The white paper will be available for download this winter, but in the meantime, here is the second sneak peek of "The Five P's of Promoting Your Child Nutrition Program: Product, Placement, Promotion, Price and People." (Did you miss the first sneak peek? Click here!)

"Price, the third marketing principle, is the actual amount charged for the goods or service. Too many times it is thought that students do not care what they are charged, but they are becoming more sensitive to pricing. They are aware of what competitors are charging and will seek out the provider that provides the food at a lower cost. Students are also looking for discounts and deals. Consider discounting new products temporarily to get students to try them or promotions that give students a treat or free meal if they purchase a certain number of meals. [Read more...]"

"The Five P's" was written by Cynthia Sevier, SNS, who has over 30 years of experience in K-12 child nutrition, and has authored other Meals Plus white papers that are available for download. She is currently the Child Nutrition Operations Consultant for Meals Plus, assisting CND's across with country with staff training, menu preparation, Pre-Validation review and more.

Subscribe to our e-newsletter for the official announcement when "The Five P's" is available for download!

Do You Use Video Menus Boards
in Your Cafeterias?

Introducing a Video Menu Board Interface from Meals Plus!

Easier access to your menu's
nutritional data
Reduces manual data entry
Compatible with any system
Quick and easy installation!
$795 to install and only $275
per year for maintenance

Requires latest version of Meals Plus Menus. Contact us for more information.

Meet the Team: Lindsay

Get to know the Meals Plus Team! Lindsay is a member of the development team that works hard to make Meals Plus the best cafeteria management software available.

The Dish: How long have you been at Meals Plus?
Lindsay: I have been with Meals Plus for 6 years.

TD: What duties and responsibilities does your position entail?
L: Project planning and development.

TD: What aspects of your position do you enjoy the most?
L: I like writing code and working collaboratively with our Development and Quality Assurance Teams.

TD: What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
L: Going to the beach with family and friends.

TD: What was your favorite lunch when you were in school?
L: A ham sandwich and fruit snacks.