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More choices, better quality

New MHS cafeteria plans updated

MUSCATINE, Iowa n By the 2006-07 school year, Muscatine High School students will be able to dine in a fully renovated cafeteria.

During a Monday night planning meeting, the Muscatine School Board and school district administrators learned more about plans for a modernized high school cafeteria designed to be more appealing and offer a variety of quality, nutritious foods.

David Colton, director of facilities and grounds for the district, said the cafeteria plan includes two phases of renovation.

The first phase will be completed this summer and the second by the start of the 2006-07 school year, Colton said.

Using a two-phase plan makes payment for the $784,000 project more affordable, Colton said.

Food service department funds and revenue from the Physical Plant and Equipment Levy, combined with a projected increased profit margin that should be realized during the second phase of the project, will pay for the renovation, Colton said.

Phase I of the project will include the addition of serving areas, kitchen upgrades and cashiering.

The project is being planned with input from Reimaging Associates LLC and Shive Hattery, Inc.

Colton and food services supervisor Alisha Eggers said an upgraded, modern cafeteria will bring in more revenue for the district, as more students and staff will purchase lunch at the school.

According to a survey of MHS students and staff, half the respondents said they didn't like eating in the cafeteria and listed food quality and variety as major reasons.

The new cafeteria design will include six food stations rather than four. There will also be grab-and-go counters with ready-to-eat items such as salads and vegetables. This will mean shorter lines and more variety.

Currently, only 20 percent of the MHS lunch revenue is from complete meal purchases; the rest is from a la carte sales. By increasing choices and food quality, improving line speed and making the cafeteria more attractive with better seating, other school districts of similar size have improved their full lunch sales and maintained their a la carte sales, according to research by school officials. Colton said he and Eggers predict sales could increase anywhere from $151,345 to $302,689 a year.

Students who qualify for free and reduced lunches will be more likely to eat those lunches in the new cafeteria because they won't receive their meals from a designated line as they do now. Superintendent Tom Williams said some students are concerned their peers will know they receive free or reduced lunch if they use that line now. In the new system, Eggers said every line would include the types of foods required for nutritiously balanced lunches under federal guidelines for free and reduced meals.

Colton said the dining area will be equal to similarly updated facilities in schools of a similar size throughout the region

The plan summary states that the hiring of one more cashier and four entry-level food service workers will probably be enough to accommodate the changes.

The food preparation equipment will be upgraded and employees will undergo significant training coupled with prepackaging, Colton said.

The next regular school board meeting will be at 7 p.m., Monday, April 11.

Contact Cynthia Beaudette at 563-263-2331 (ext. 323) or by e-mail at cynthia.beaudette@muscatinejournal.com