Case Study

District: School City of Hammond, Indiana –
SNA Keys to Excellence School District

Director: Diane Schweitzer, MA, SFNS, CFSP, FMP
Enrollment: 14,000
% Free and Reduced: 68%
Number of Schools: 23
Costs: Food 39% and Labor 42%

Walking into Diane’s office is like walking into a library. I spotted her inTEAM manuals next to the dozens of food service equipment and operations manual that line the shelves of her book cases. Diane attended inTEAM classes offered through the Indiana State Child Nutrition Department. People who know Diane also know that she does not just attend training meetings, she puts the new concepts into action. This is an example of how Diane utilized the inTEAM “make-over” training to transform her school district dining rooms, serving areas and kitchens.

Faced with a very high labor cost when she took over the Hammond school food service program in 1995, Diane looked for ways to reduce her costs especially labor costs which were 75% of her revenue. At the same time, many of the facilities in the district were old and in need of remodeling. This gave Diane an opportunity to help design kitchens and dining areas that would reduce her costs and at the same time increase her participation. New dining rooms were designed to be multi-functional, quiet, easy to clean and at the same time very appealing to students. Serving areas utilize school colors and the layout assures a minimum of waiting time for students, attractive display of food items and a control over theft. The kitchens incorporated high efficiency and ergonomic equipment. Although each kitchen was slightly different than the next, a model of high schools and elementary had been established and variations to these models were made as required by the needs of the school.

The high school dining rooms at Clark and Gavit have booths with roll-out tables to make clean-up easier. Each booth has an electrical and network connection above the table so that students can listen to a CD player or connect their computer to the internet at breakfast. Tables throughout the dining room seat 4-6 people for quiet conversation. In some areas, tall bar-like tables and barstools are utilized and add visual interest. (Fig.1) Tables are also placed in a manner that makes them accessible for wheelchairs. Diane noted that the traditional seating makes it difficult for students who are confined to a wheelchair to eat with their friends.

Flat screen televisions, including one giant screen (Fig.2), are visible throughout the dining area including the serving lines. The principal controls the content, a Road Runner cartoon was playing quietly and students were watching. Even columns were turned into dining space with the use of wrap around tables and one or two bar stools to accommodate students who are dining alone. Low walls separate the dining space providing a more intimate feel but still allows for supervisors to easily observe the students. The dining room was designed so that it could also be utilized for school or community meetings including sophisticated audio-visual capability.

The floors are carpeted except in the walking paths and trash collection areas. Carpeting substantially reduces noise and adds a feeling of warmth to the dining room. Trash and condiments are neatly stored in built in counters with solid-surface countertops. A central vacuum system assured that cleanup was not only easy but quiet. Lighting was muted and attractive and the windows that surrounded the dining area had blinds enclosed between the panes of glass so that they could be adjusted without damage. Security cameras are hidden in the walls and ceilings for student protection.

Floors in the kitchen, serving area, and high traffic areas of the dining room are made of porcelain tile rather than quarry tile for several reasons: porcelain tile can be purchased in a wide variety of colors, is much less porous than traditional quarry tile, is much more maintenance free, and reflects light much better for a warmer feel.

The teachers had their own dining room but they were served from the adjacent student serving area. The teachers also had a television as well as several computer stations so that they could browse on-line during their lunch and planning periods. This room was also used for small meetings. Tables are square so that any configuration could be made for meetings. Electric and data outlets were found in multiple floor boxes.

In the serving areas, the hot food lines are scattered and back up to the kitchen for easy replenishing of food. Hot food tables have drains that empty into an under-counter floor drain for quicker clean-up at the end of the day. The cold lines are perpendicular to the hot lines so that the cashier can easily see students. Cold food is all self serve and utilizes refrigerated display cabinets to help merchandize the food (Fig. 3). Shelving was angled so that food could easily be seen and gravity fed so that customers could easily reach it. Hot foods are available in heated merchandizing cabinets and are also self-serve when practical. The serving area is brightly lit and utilizes glazed tile in school colors to make the area attractive and inviting (Fig. 4). Each point of sale area is equipped with a data phone so that the cashier can call the kitchen or manager when they need help. In the elementary sites, the serving lines are “child size” and are accessible on both sides allowing students to pick up their food much faster. All students are served in ten minutes or less because of a formula that is used at the time of redesigning the service area. Most cashiers can service 6 to 7 students per minute.

The kitchen includes equipment such as combi-ovens and blast chillers with labor saving roll-in rack feature. This allows for food to be wheeled right from the oven and into the blast chiller where temperature and times are recorded as the foods are chilled to a safe holding temperature. All cooking equipment was installed with flexible connections and casters so that the equipment can be moved for easy cleaning or relocated as the needs of the program change.

Pot and pan clean-up is easier in the Hammond schools thanks to the use of power soak sinks. According to Diane, this has reduced the time to wash pots and pans by about 60%. Shelving is polypropylene so that it can be cleaned in the flight type dish machine. The dish room also has a tray carousel that holds student trays until the end of the lunch period eliminating the need for a person to be staffed in this area. All hand sink faucets and towel dispensers are sensor operated allowing clean hands to reduce the possibility of cross contamination.

Refrigeration compressors are located outside of the service area to reduce heat and noise from the kitchen. Milk coolers have overhead fans that circulate cold air over the tops of milk cases. This keeps milk colder longer which promotes more consumption of milk.

To assist with training employees on the new equipment, Diane video taped all the manufacturer training sessions so that training can be reviewed or given to new employees.

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