K-12 foodservice directors and the designers who work with them are pushing school kitchens toward the look and versatility of college dining, according to Eric Goodrich, a principal partner at Minneapolis-based foodservice design and consulting firm Rippe Associates. He describes high school administrators as trying to capture the look and feel of collegiate dining, while today's middle schools resemble the high schools of a previous generation, with more variety and more made-to-order items. Technology, sustainability and a drive for efficiency, sharpened by tight labor and limited square footage, run through the latest designs.
Flexibility on the serving line
Operators are asking for flexibility at the point of service. Hot and cold convertible wells let a station change function, and food shields that tilt from a full-service position to a self-serve one allow staff to hand out an entrée while students add their own toppings or accompaniments. Goodrich notes that a full-service station can also be flipped to self-service when a meal period is short-staffed.
Menu boards and student flow
Digital menu boards give operators room to change the menu on the fly and to show it as it stands at each serving station. Goodrich argues that the better informed students are before they walk through the door, the faster their experience and the higher the throughput. He also sees more awareness of what neurodivergent students need, with clearly labeled items helping them make decisions quickly.
Multitasking equipment
Limited space and labor make multifunctional equipment central to current designs. Goodrich describes a push for as much multifunctionality as possible, or as much horsepower per square foot as a district can get. Combi ovens have been popular in K-12 for some time, and he says more districts are moving toward heavy blast chilling; he cites RATIONAL's iCombi Pro as supporting a cook-chill program. He calls the RATIONAL iVario extremely popular, noting the cooking system comes in several models that can replace frying pans, deep fryers and stoves, with larger models also standing in for kettles and tilt skillets.
Beyond consolidating two or three pieces of equipment into one, Goodrich says combi ovens help with consistency. Operators can preprogram items, in effect creating a button for a chicken patty, and skip worrying about timers and temperatures. The self-cleaning option saves time, and the ability to add humidity or moisture supports yield by keeping product from drying out.
Waste, workflow and finishes
Sustainability goals are shaping specifications as well. Goodrich reports fewer disposals than in the past, more interest in composting programs and wider adoption of equipment that reduces packaging waste, such as milk-dispensing systems. In some designs, milk is stored in the walk-in and runs to the front of the house much like beer lines, which he says makes life easier for staff.
Efficiency also means designing for two-handed work. Recirculating trough systems, for example, let employees scrape trays with both hands instead of holding a spray rinse in one, and Goodrich says cutting steps so people can work with two hands can nearly double speed.
Front-of-house design is moving away from an institutional look. Goodrich cites demand for higher-end finishes and a homier feel, with less stainless steel on display; stone countertops and tray slides, tile-fronted serving lines and sufficient display lighting are described as high-impact choices. Operators are also more open to open kitchen designs, he says: where a wall once separated the kitchen from the serving area, removing it can deliver the student experience a district wants while picking up square footage.
RATIONAL is offering schools and districts an extra year of warranty coverage on iCombi Pro and iCombi Classic units through a program launched in August, extending the standard two-year coverage by 12 months at no charge.