Action taken
“When we won the contract for Southfield School for Girls in 2006, only 10% of the students were staying for a school meal and takings were around £100 a day. The challenge for us was to inspire the pupils to give school meals a try again and then to keep them coming back for more” Steve Quinn, Managing Director Cucina
With over 24 years experience within the catering industry, including work with contract catering firms Sodexho, and the Compass Group, Steve believes in treating provision for food at Southfield, a Specialist Sports College in Kettering, as you would a high street environment. “We don’t see ourselves as a school meals company, we see ourselves as a good food company. I wanted the dining experience and food to be at the same high standard that you would expect in good restaurants”.
“We had just three weeks in July to make a radical difference to the look and style of service that we were offering in September 2006”, AA rosette chef Andy Morris explained.
Immediate changes included:-
- Full-time AA rosette chef Andy Morris joined the team to lead and manage the changes.
- School catering staff were trained by Andy and the Cucina team to work ‘the hotel way’ in just under a week, in a step by step approach.
- Re-organisation and re-decoration of the kitchen; creation of open stores, hot and cold preparation zones and better work triangles.
- A new ‘restaurant style’ servery where chef and staff are visible to customers.
- New equipment was purchased including a pizza oven, stainless steel refrigerators and a fresh pasta machine.
- Development of ‘Stealthy Eating’ – a range of innovative menus reviewed by top nutritionist Dr Mabel Blades, which are replicated at other Cucina schools for consistency.
- Creation of a tuck shop hatch within the kitchen area for take-away provision and fast healthy snacks on the move.
- Introduction of breakfast service, break service and longer dining hours to encourage the uptake of food.
What were the outcomes and benefits?
- There was an immediate change in meal take-up. Over two-thirds of the students now have school meals, and takings top £800.00 per day. “When we opened in September, we thought that we’d have big battles and that our customers wouldn’t eat anything, but I was pleasantly surprised” Andy Morris, Cucina Head Chef.
- All food sold is prepared and cooked from scratch, with Andy’s team producing up to 60 different fresh items a day.
- Hot meal prices range from just £1.00 to £1.75, sandwiches start at 85p and bagged fresh fruit slices at 60p.
- All catering staff have benefited from CIEH Food Nutrition Training, Level 1 and Level 2.
- Good rotation of staff duties and responsibilities to keep their interest and widen their skill base.
- Steve and the Cucina team have forged good working relationships, effectively communicating with the students, the school bursar and school governors formally and informally.
- Andy and his catering team have regular input into Food Technology learning opportunities.
- “Behaviour has improved, more children and teachers are eating better and the results are really significant. We’ve seen the whole school’s approach to nutrition improve and benefit here from the governors, the students and Cucina’s suppliers. You feel what you do is valued and above all is helping”, explains Dr Mabel Blades, Advisory Nutritionist to Cucina
- Cucina has expanded its services. Breakfast service is available not just for the children but for busy parents. Students, staff and parents can take home freshly made pizzas or spit roast chickens.
“I chose Cucina because when they made their presentation they listened and spoke to us, not just to the adults. After all we’re their biggest customers, not the adults. They have delivered exactly what they said they would. It’s the best decision we ever made.” Y13 student Cassie Watts
Sustainability
“Cucina’s method of operation is based on preparing fresh food, employing the best possible catering teams and delivering change by providing in depth resource and training from the start. We support this with documented systems which enable the existing team to quickly replicate the food variety and quality themselves following intensive training and support” Steve Quinn MD Cucina
Funding was provided by Cucina during the changeover at no cost to Southfield. Due to the success and quality of the meal provision at Southfield, Andy and the team now provide the same Cucina quality lunchtime meal service to local St Mary’s Primary School, Burton Latimer.
Learning Experience
For Steve & Cucina, the key to success in delivering change is to:-
- Focus on customer usage and uptake rather than on profit margins.
- Do your market research. Listen to them.
- Trial your ideas with them.
- Keep prices within their pockets.
- Remember that they are here for 5/6 years, so keep it fresh. Keep changing. In many ways the kids are the harshest of food critics but the most supportive, once you get those things right for them.
- Make it fun.
- Partner with like minded schools who believe in fresh food and embrace change, involve the whole school in this change. Work with the school to educate about good food. “The dining room is usually the only part of the school that doesn’t provide an opportunity to learn; we are changing that” says Steve.
Chef Andy Morris agrees “its hard work to begin with but incredibly worthwhile. Moving from a restaurant background as I have, there’s far more job satisfaction at Cucina. It’s much more fun!
Consistency of quality is important, to keep our recipe specifications consistent. You have to stick to suppliers who will supply that consistency. There are some suppliers who think that because they are supplying to young people that the quality doesn’t matter. But we’re not just feeding young people; we are feeding customers who are amongst the most demanding out there.”
Date
This article was first published in May 2007
Contact information
If you would like further information regarding this case study then please feel free to contact the School Food Trust on 0800 089 5001. Alternatively please feel free to email any enquiries to info@sft.gsi.gov.uk Thank you.
