A lot of work goes into planning school menus so there’s something for every student’s taste. Behind the scenes, an entire team of Aramark Student Nutrition chefs, dietitians, marketing professionals, and operators get together to study trends and data—and make plans to “wow” students throughout the school year.
Yet there’s another important factor that helps the team develop new menu items and offerings: They ask!
“We survey students and parents across the U.S.,” said John Kandemir, Vice President of Marketing, Aramark Student Nutrition. “The Student ViewPOINT surveys help us develop new menu items, expand our range of offerings, and create additional ways for students to access breakfast and lunch.”
The tangible results of these surveys may include new café stations, food carts, or trucks; the introduction of breakfast in the classroom or second-chance breakfast options; or solutions like coffee and smoothie kiosks or school convenience stores.
A recent Student ViewPOINT surveyed 6,877 parents of elementary school children—and 33,805 middle and high school students—to get direction for future menu items and programs. Key takeaways from the survey follow.
Top 3 Breakfast Choices
For breakfast, the top three items parents would like to see on the menu are pancakes, waffles, or French toast (48%); fruit (48%); and smoothies or yogurt parfaits (42%).
Meanwhile, middle and high school students' top choices include muffins or donuts (40%); pancakes, waffles, or French toast (39%); and smoothies (33%).
Top Lunch Picks
Forty-seven percent (47%) of parents expressed a desire for more locally grown food on school lunch menus. Forty-six percent (46%) wanted smoothies or acai bowls. Forty-two percent (42%) favored American regional food.
American regional food topped the middle and high school students’ lunch picks at 54%, followed by coffee drinks (52%) and smoothies or acai bowls (50%).
Both parents and students agreed they wanted more soups or noodle bowls, with 39% of parents and 45% of students expressing this preference.
Defining Quality
For parents, the top three factors that define the quality of school meals are Taste (62%), Freshness (60%), and Healthy Food Options (47%).
Middle and high school students look for Taste (64%), Freshness (40%) and Appearance (27%).
Who Picks Menu Items?
When the elementary school parents were asked who makes decisions on school menu options, 31% said they decide on breakfast and lunch together with their children while 30% allow the child to choose.
Another 25% make the decision jointly but let the child have the final say.
Only 14% of parents report making these decisions on their own.
Making Time for Meals
When it comes to eating breakfast, 59% of the middle and high school students said they prefer to eat breakfast during first period or later in the morning. The remainder (41%) prefer to eat breakfast before school starts.
However, it’s important to note that 23% of the students indicated their schedule does not allow them to eat breakfast and 25% said their schedule does not allow them sufficient time for lunch.
Communication Preferences
Parents indicated they would like to learn about their elementary students’ menus through a mobile app (53%), school website (38%), or via email (35%). Only 25% indicated traditional paper announcements or newsletters are the preferred option.
