Student catering, particularly in secondary education institutions and universities, has undergone significant transformation over the years. Today’s students are more diverse, concerned about the environment and more likely to have food allergies or special diets, driving changes in what they need from on-campus caterers. This consumer group is at the forefront of tech-adoption and is highly influential, often leading trends and cultural change. As any education caterer knows, keeping up with this target market is exceptionally challenging, and operators regularly have to make changes to ‘meet them where they are’ as opposed to forcing students to fit into an out-dated catering model.
FOOD TRENDS
Every student and parent seeks value for money, but for the younger generation, value is about more than portion size or cost, it’s a balance of quality, cost and sustainability. Eating less, more often and better is of greater value than big portions of cheap, low-quality food. “There is a new breed of consumer within schools, pupils have a lot more interest in our future and are keen to make a difference. There is greater focus on seasonality and locally sourced produce wherever possible. School Eco-Committees are more involved in influencing menu choices and pupil food forums often reflect a desire for more sustainable produce.” says Dougie Brown, Catering Manager at Downe House School.
Customisation of dishes is also becoming popular, to the point whereby it is evolving into a dining experience. Whether it’s a build-your-own salad, selecting your own toppings for avocado on toast, burgers or pasta, enabling students to tailor their meals enhances their enjoyment of the food they eat.
For the more adventurous student, consider flavour contrasts – pairing sweet with sour or incorporating ingredients such as za’atar, shawarma, spicy ranch dressing or the McCormick flavour of the year – tamarind into your menus. Sour flavourings have stepped into the spotlight recently, driving the popularity of fermented foods, citrus and vinegar.
EMBRACING DIVERSITY
Overseas students account for 24%1 of the higher education student population, and Muslim students account for 10% of the university population, so catering to their needs must form part of every education caterer’s overarching strategy. Today, the food we eat is more culturally driven, as such, common phrases like ‘comfort food’ will mean different things to different people, it is no longer enough to offer a generic Indian, African, Chinese or Thai dish on the menu, it needs to be specific and authentic to deliver a true taste of home.
“On a termly basis, we see the need for menu diversity increasing. The desire for a stronger nutritional foundation, a greater variety of plant-based dishes, and the ever-expanding pupil population from across the globe also means there is an ongoing need to develop menus. Working with operational teams and similar regional schools, best purchasing and practices are shared and embedded to try and achieve the balance.” comments Dougie.
For university campuses, sub-contracting local and independent operators to improve diversity and differentiation is proving interesting. At Washington University in St. Louis, USA, the team asked four female-run or minority-owned restaurants in the area to open satellite locations on campus to diversify their dining options and support local businesses. The initiative quickly became a runaway success, with concepts including boba tea, Chinese snacks and Filipino barbeque stations.
“Imagination, flair and culinary ability are critical skills in the battle to create a diverse menu offering. Allowing your catering team opportunities to explore different options, conduct visits to other catering operations to inspire them and to practise dishes, will all help create the passion needed to increase diversity in their menus,” comments John Bantawa-Doman, Catering Manager at St Margaret’s School in Bushey. “Working closely with the Global Partnerships and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion teams, we have showcased food from around the world to our school community. Celebrating cultures helps to broaden understanding and what better way to do that, than with food.”
KEEPING UP WITH A TECH-FORWARD GENERATION
Cashless payments reduce friction and queues by improving transaction times and increase revenue by enabling caterers to serve more students in any given time frame. The process can be further streamlined using the very same technology for students and staff
to pre-order food and drink from the comfort of their study space or office. Not only does this support transaction efficiency, it helps caterers effectively monitor and manage orders as they come in. This minimises food waste and the convenience factor reduces the chance of students purchasing items from off-site alternatives.
Caterers can engage with their audience through cashless apps to customise promotions, send incentives, issue vouchers and manage loyalty schemes. Students are also able to set up their accounts with any personal allergens or dietary requirements to receive notifications and pop-up alerts regarding individual menu items, improving the buying experience and giving both students and staff more confidence in their purchases.
WHERE TO SEEK INSPIRATION
Researching food trends online and working with suppliers to understand market changes form the foundations for building menus, but as many education caterers know – it takes more than that to create a successful offer. “The best place to start is the high street, looking at where pupils like to spend their leisure time and the food that is on offer. Increasingly, we see social media playing a bigger role in influencing pupils about food choices and styles,” says John. “What is key above all else when it comes to creating dishes is to listen to student voices, feedback is vital. We are very active with our community at St Margaret’s in seeking pupil and staff feedback. This has led to the development of a deli bar offering, a blend of grab-and-go sandwiches, alongside a create-your-own offer. We also create pop-ups to showcase food such as a chef demos on bread, pasta, sushi, sustainability and nutrition.”
At Downe House, Dougie is investing in training and personal development to inspire creativity in the kitchen and forge new connections. “Our Head Chef has recently completed a Level 4 Chef Management Apprenticeship, during which he has made some new friends in the world of hospitality and catering. You cannot deliver an inspired food offering without first inspiring and developing those who prepare and serve it.” he says.
Don’t lose sight of the detail
There are plenty of little wins to help make your education catering operation unique and successful. Here are a few to get you started.
• Investigate the possibility of extended opening hours for universities who offer
postgraduate evening classes or offer after-hours facilities, checking stocks in
the early afternoon/evening to make sure there is enough on offer to meet the
needs of students throughout the day.
• Deploy allergen-free vending machines for the most common allergens (milk,
nuts, wheat, eggs).
• For secondary school caterers, talk with faculty staff to uncover synergies
between catering and the curriculum. This could take the form of a fun activity for new intake to help them feel more comfortable in a new school environment or enhance a GCSE program by focussing on regional cuisine and cooking techniques.
