7 Best Practices in School Kitchen Design

When it comes to K-12 school kitchen design, “Everything is stepping up,” says Eric Goodrich, a principal partner with Minneapolis-based foodservice design and consulting firm Rippe Associates. “At the high school level, I would say that principals and administrators are really trying to get the look and feel of collegiate dining. And the middle schools of today are like the high schools of yesterday. There’s more variety and we are seeing more made-to-order items.” Technology, sustainability, and a drive for efficiency when labor and square footage are at a premium also are playing a major role in the latest K-12 designs.

1. Design Flexible School Kitchen Serving Lines

The best K-12 kitchens are designed with flexibility in mind. “Operators are looking for flexibility on serving lines, certainly with hot/cold convertible wells and with food shields that switch from full-service to self-serve,” Goodrich says. “You might want the entree to be served by staff but the toppings or accoutrements for the entree to be self-serve, so having protective shields able to be tilted to either position can really be important to improve speed of service.” Operators also have the option to quickly convert a full-service station to self-service when understaffed for a meal period.

2. Incorporate Digital Technology Into School Kitchens

Digital menu boards are another tool that give operators much-needed flexibility when it comes to menu development and making changes on the fly. “They want to be able to show the menu as it changes at every serving station. I think the more informed students are before they walk through the door, the quicker their experience is going to be and faster the throughput,” Goodrich says. “We are also seeing a lot more awareness of what neurodivergent students need … and items being well-labeled helps them make decisions quickly.”

3. Choose Multifunctional School Kitchen Equipment

Limited space and staff make multitasking foodservice equipment crucial in today’s school kitchens. “There is certainly a push for as much multifunctional equipment as possible so you can get the most horsepower per square foot,” Goodrich says. “Certainly combi ovens have been popular in K-12 for a while, but we are seeing a lot more districts moving toward doing a lot of blast chilling.” RATIONAL’s iCombi Pro, for example, helps support a cook-chill program. “The RATIONAL iVario, that’s extremely popular,” Goodrich adds. The cooking system comes in several models, all of which can replace frying pans, deep fryers and stoves; the larger models can replace kettles as well as tilt skillets.

Combi ovens continue to be a desired choice. “Operators appreciate when they can replace two or three pieces of equipment with one, but I also think it helps them with consistency,” Goodrich says. “You can preprogram things, like ‘Here’s my chicken patty button.’ You don’t have to worry about the timer on it or making sure the temperature is correct; you just press the button. And the self-cleaning option is certainly a timesaver. Just the versatility of what it can do, the consistency and then yield as well. You’re not drying out product, you’re able to add some humidity or moisture so you get better yields, too.”

Multitasking equipment, like combi ovens, help solve the challenge of limited kitchen space.

4. Build Sustainability Into School Kitchen Design

Keep in mind how your kitchen design can support current and future sustainability goals. “In regards to food waste and how districts are handling it, we are seeing a lot less disposals than we have seen in the past and more interest in composting programs,” Goodrich says. He’s seeing more adoption of equipment that reduces packaging waste, such as milk-dispensing systems. “It’s moving away from the waste of cartons, and we’ve done designs where the milk is actually in the walk-in and runs almost like beer lines from the back of the house to the front of the house, which makes it so easy for the staff.”

5. Improve Kitchen Workflow With Two Hands

Equipping K-12 kitchens for two-handed work is a best practice to maximize efficiency. “We are seeing more recirculating trough systems because they allow staff to scrap with two hands as opposed to standing with a spray rinse in one hand and spraying each tray down,” Goodrich says. “Anything we can do to reduce steps and allow people to work with two hands rather than just one, because when you can do that, it’s almost like doubling your speed.”

6. Create a Welcoming School Dining Environment

The best school kitchens make students feel comfortable and welcome. “There is a lot of demand for higher-end finishes and more of a homey feel to things—looking less institutional with stainless steel everywhere,” Goodrich says. Stone countertops and tray slides, serving lines with tile fronts, and sufficient display lighting are high-impact choices.

7. Consider an Open School Kitchen Layout

Facing the perpetual challenge of designing within limited space, “(Operators) are a bit more open to an open kitchen design than they have been in the past,” Goodrich says. “It used to be: The serving area is here and the kitchen is here. There is a wall in between and never the two shall meet. But not anymore. You may be able to get the student experience you are hoping to achieve by eliminating a wall in between the kitchen and serving lines and pick up square footage that way.”

Looking ahead, K-12 operators wanting to step up their kitchens by adding RATIONAL iCombi units can take advantage of a free additional year on the warranty. Launched in August, the program, which includes the iCombi Pro and iCombi Classic models, extends the standard two-year warranty coverage by 12 months at no charge to the school or district. For more details, visit RATIONAL at rational-online.com.