This is the third in a four-part series on designing or upgrading a school cafeteria. The series is tailored for school nutrition directors but information on how various areas of equipment can improve the quality of meals, food safety and energy efficiency are of use to any commercial kitchen operation. Our four items of discussion are 1) Dish machines, 2) Combi ovens, 3) Serving lines and 4) Walk-in Coolers and Freezers. For the benefit of school nutrition directors, each post will address how these new pieces of equipment can help in the following areas: 1) improve the quality of school meals, 2) improve the safety of food served in school meal programs, 3) improve overall energy efficiency of school nutrition operations, 4) improve or expand participation in national school lunch program or school breakfast program. We hope you find this series helpful.
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School Nutrition and Kitchen Equipment: Serving Lines
SUMMARY READ: Upgrading your school cafeteria’s serving line can:
- IMPROVE OR EXPAND PARTICIPATION IN SCHOOL LUNCH OR SCHOOL BREAKFAST PROGRAMS by creating a comfortable and inviting the first step in the dining process for students. New serving line technology like Delfield’s Concepts line and LTI’s Quickswitch system can also expand menu flexibility.
- IMPROVE THE SAFETY OF FOOD SERVED IN SCHOOL MEAL PROGRAMS by offering tighter temperature control through improved thermostats and thermocouple. NSF approved sneezeguards options can help with HACCP monitoring.
- IMPROVE THE OVERALL EFFICIENCY OF SCHOOL NUTRITION OPERATIONS by choosing new 500-watt heat well elements that can save more than half the power used with traditional heating wells.
Many schools today are upgrading serving lines to create more choices for students. (Credit: LTI)
Your school’s serving line is the front door for your cafeteria operations. A high-quality appearance can lead to more students choosing to eat at school. Many schools today are upgrading their serving stations in a way that removes the traditional “institutional feel” and creates a food-court-like environment that puts students at ease. Children, more so than any other age group, eat with their eyes as much as their mouths and features like streamlined, glass-hinged breath guards help to create a comfortable environment that leads to more students eating nutritious meals every day. New serving line options also include pieces like mobile breakfast carts placed in remote locations that can increase participation by up to 50 percent.
Upgrading your serving line is more than just offering a fresh look though. Dine Company works with four manufacturers – Delfield, Vollrath, LTI, and Randell – to offer the latest in serving line flexibility and safety.
Delfield provides the look of a custom layout without a custom price tag. More than 500,000 configurations are possible using their standard blocks that can be combined to create unique shapes that fit any space. Delfield offers a wide range of serving line looks that are a strong fit for K-12 schools looking to upgrade their cafeteria service.
LTI’s QuickSwitch is an innovative serving counter system that is particularly appealing to schools. Each serving well is independently controlled to be hot, cold or frozen. These serving wells can switch functions in an hour or less, providing extreme menu flexibility. You could serve ice cream next to a hot taco bar, next to a cold salad station – and completely switch menus for the next day’s service – a first in the industry allows for any range of possibilities. LTI’s Quickswitch serving wells are a natural fit in their Colorpoint serving line system that offers 10 standard sizes available in 177 standard sizes for an easily-created serving counter that fits your needs.
Vollrath too offers a number of serving counter options, with the added benefit of a 3D color rendering (option available) that can particularly useful in showing your vision during early budget stages. All manufacturers have body options including stainless steel, laminate, and fiberglass that are exceedingly durable and easy-to-clean with a long-lasting life. There are also options available now for NSF approved breath guard options, helping with Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) compliance.
Delfield’s new ESP serving wells can save up to 77 percent energy compared to older 1,000 watt models
Newer serving lines, compared with older models, also offer tighter temperature control for both hot and cold wells through improved thermostats and thermocouple, further improving food safety. Manufacturers are also introducing 500-watt heat elements like Delfield’s Energy Saving Power hot food wells that can save more than half the power used with traditional heating wells.
Dine Company can help find the serving line option that is right for your school cafeteria and then construct an efficient layout and design, creating a proper flow that maximizes space and productivity. Let us help as you consider a new front door to your foodservice operation.
