Coffee and its offshoot drinks are a cultural staple. Americans drink 400 million cups of coffee per day, making the U.S. a leader in consumption of this beverage. New York-based IBISWorld reports there are 63,630 coffee and snack shops in the U.S. as of 2021, an increase of 2.6% from 2020.

FE&S Kitchen Storage Makeover Winner Harborcreek Youth Services: How a dated kitchen space at a nonprofit facility turned into an efficient, well-organized workspace with a purpose.

Ever heard of the term “flex kitchen?” That was new to me when Bella Karakis, CEO, founder e.terra, first introduced the concept.

With the fall semester in sight, college and university foodservice operators find themselves evaluating what worked and what didn’t during the previous academic year as they prepare for the new school year. While they hope for more normal foodservice programs, many changes from the past year may remain.

Even in the best of times, K-12 school foodservice is a tough proposition. With ever-changing governmental regulations, fluctuating enrollment sizes and shrinking budgets, it’s always been a challenge. But as with every other segment of the industry, the pandemic made school foodservice completely rethink its operational strategies. The changes that the pandemic forced upon school foodservice will surely affect how it moves forward.

Lewis Beville, Amundsen Commercial Kitchens

Office buildings, schools and events venues that aren’t already open will likely resume operations in the coming weeks and months. These restarts will include commercial kitchens for cafeterias and food vendors.

Foodservice Equipment & Supplies named Harborcreek Youth Services the winner of its 2021 Kitchen Storage Makeover contest. The facility offers both behavioral health services along with education on its campus staffed by Pennsylvania-certified teachers.

While most restaurants have been open in some capacity for months, other foodservice operations, such as corporate feeders and school cafeterias, are just starting to reopen.

Dramatic changes in K-12 school foodservice have meant an abrupt halt to traditional service models, as well as disrupting evolving programs such as scratch cooking.

A new dining hall opens new vistas for students, faculty and staff at The Thacher School.

The old cafeteria at Englewood High School in Jacksonville, Fla., functioned poorly. Students had to wait in long lines to pick up their food, which meant a lack of adequate time to eat. In addition, the teenage students were not fond of the tired, drab, institutional-style ambience.

The cook-chill concept was created in the 1960s as a way for caterers to safely produce large quantities of quality food in advance. It has come a long way from its start.

They may lack some of the sizzle and showmanship of other types of foodservice kitchens, but commissary or central kitchens play critical roles in unlocking efficiency, safety, consistency and quality for many large-volume operations.

Great Falls High School, Great Falls, Montana

Going back to school used to be a pretty uniform process for students in grades K through 12. They would collect their school supplies and show up on day one ready for action. This year, thanks to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, will be anything but normal for students, their teachers and their parents and guardians. And that extends beyond the classroom to include the way these groups use foodservice.

The Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) is opening the 2020-2021 school year with a new Culinary Center, even though the facility will be used differently than originally intended since the district plans to start the year with remote learning.

The aspect of the foodservice industry that’s most consistent now is inconsistency. Consumers’ comfort level with the coronavirus varies, as do the rules and regulations from one region to another.

Just as on the commercial side of the industry, K-12 foodservice operators have been forced to create new operating playbooks during the COVID-19 crisis. And just as for restaurant operators, the fluidity of the situation and persistent spread of the coronavirus demands flexibility and determination on the part of directors and their staffs to adjust and adapt.

Not many can say they have been working in the foodservice industry for a half a century — or more if you count childhood activities. Harry Schildkraut can. But most of you knew that already.

Population growth in the communities feeding into Jefferson County Public Schools(Jeffco), the second largest school district in Colorado, led to a new school for students in kindergarten to eighth grades: Three Creeks K-8 Schoolin Arvada, Colo. Project goals for the dining program included creating an inviting school meal environment and providing efficient work space for foodservice staff.

The new kitchen, servery and dining room at this Jackson, Miss., middle school use contemporary technologies for a more efficient child nutrition program.

Despite growing participation rates and increased governmental demands, school foodservice providers continue to leverage a battery of heavy-duty foodservice equipment to provide students with healthy meal options.

A kitchen serving new elementary and middle schools brings efficiencies to the child nutrition program at Jackson Public Schools.

Burke to help lead Just 4 Schools program.

There's no question the school foodservice landscape has changed dramatically in the last year and continues to do so. In fact, many trends and movements in school foodservice have opened up new, untapped areas for designers and management advisory services consultants, from creating college-level serveries to helping reduce waste through more scratch cooking and other initiatives.

Thanks to USDA mandates, there is a greater push among K-12 schools to provide fresher, better-for-you meal options. As a result, the equipment packages these foodservice operators now emphasize multi-use items and cold and hot-food holding.

In order to meet new USDA mandates, school foodservice operators are learning how to better leverage their equipment packages to make the most of their often tight budgets.

Just like their parents, children in the U.S. have expanded their food repertoire.