Our
Canteen
The definition of a canteen is a self-service restaurant where you select and pay for food
yourself, or a dining area where meals can be purchased or brought from home. The big
room with a lunch line and tables where kids eat their lunches while at school is an example of a
canteen.
The ideal school canteen is one that caters to the broadest possible clientele – taking into
account if their patrons identify as vegetarian, vegan, kosher, halal, coeliac, lactose
intolerant, have a nut allergy, or have no such dietary requirements.
Experience shows that, with good management and marketing practices, a canteen can provide healthy
foods and also be financially viable. The school canteen is a small business.
Like any business, it
requires good management practices to be efficient and successful.
Effective canteen
management requires that:
everyone involved knows its goals and objectives and is familiar with
its policies canteen staff and committee develop an implementation plan to achieve policy goals
day-to-day operational procedures are structured and enforced staff are adequately trained and
supervised staff carry out efficient stock management, accounting and financial procedures staff
are familiar with and comply with relevant legal requirements regarding food safety and
occupational health and safety standards.