A profitable food service operation cannot use its fund balance for anything but food service operations and, yet, TSPR has time and again found school districts neglecting machinery and equipment and driving the cost of doing business up by not purchasing labor-saving devices. Because neither the board nor administration understand the relationship between a well-equipped kitchen and a profitable kitchen. Improving future profitability is an ambiguous phrase that includes everything from making cafeterias more inviting to students, to building central kitchens or warehouse freezers that are more cost efficient. Every school district's food service operation should analyze its operations and devise strategies to make their operations more profitable. But none of the ideas for improving profitability will be realized unless there is a strategic plan to focus efforts on achieving clearly defined goals.
Food service is integral to the educational process.
Using these common-sense guidelines to improving a school district's food service function can and should allow a district to provide students an appealing and nutritionally sound breakfast and lunch and thereby enhance every student's learning potential without draining education dollars from the classroom.