Five themes for your canteen
Published: 17 August 2017
With a little creativity, theme days can be a fun and cost-effective way to encourage healthy foods. Changing up the regular menu will generate excitement among students and keep them interested in what’s on offer.
Theme days provide a way of celebrating special occasions, trialling different foods and promoting new menu items. It’s also an opportunity to seek customer feedback.
Coming up with a theme idea is the easy part, but how can you help ensure the day is successful?
- plan well in advance and promote extensively
- consider the aim of the promotion – is it to trial a new product, promote vegetables and fruit or to increase menu variety?
- be sure to order enough food to prevent selling out. Pre-orders can help with forecasting numbers
- get the students involved. Find out what themes or popular foods will interest them
- decorate the canteen or dress up to create a buzz.
Themes can be tied in with the school’s calendar such as sports day or special occasions like religious and cultural events. Health awareness events/campaigns also provide an opportunity to focus on specific health-related themes, e.g. World Vegetarian Day. Others can be based around topics being taught in the classroom.
So what healthy, yet tasty foods can you provide that still make a profit? Here are five ideas, but the possibilities are endless, it pays to be imaginative!
Winter Soup Day
A mug of soup is the perfect way to warm up during the cooler months. It’s also a great way to include vegetables on your menu.
- Creamy vegetable soup: $0.35 per serve
- Lentil soup: $0.80 per serve
- Chicken and corn soup: $1.24 per serve
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year is an important Chinese festival surrounded by festivity. Why not join in the fun by adding a healthy twist to these traditional Asian recipes?
- Dumplings: $0.19 per dumpling
- Coriander wraps: $1.05 per serve
- Vegie noodle stir-fry: $2.90 per serve
Heart Day
Heart Day is part of the Heart Foundation’s Annual Appeal, held in February each year. Use red, heart-healthy foods to create awareness and highlight the importance of a healthy heart.
- Fresh tomato and capsicum pasta sauce: $0.15 per serve -serve with wholemeal pasta and vegetables
- Berry-licious smoothie: $1.77 per serve
- Beetroot and feta summer salad: $2.07 per serve
Vegetables/Fruit of the week
Find exciting ways to promote a different vegetable or fruit each week based on what’s in season.
- Watermelon & cucumber salad: $1.42 per serve
- Chicken and apple meatballs: $2.01 per serve
- Roast carrot dip and spinach wrap: $2.69 per serve
A taste of India
An opportunity to introduce vegetarian protein sources into your menu like chickpeas or other legumes. This theme works well for terms 2 or 3 to keep warm on a winter’s day.
- Butter(less) chicken: $1.97 per serve
- Dhal: $0.30 per serve
- Mild lamb curry: $3.80 per serve
Article by Rebekah Polglaze and Greer Gibson, Massey University Dietetic Students.