How Renovations Increased Efficiencies at a Texas High School

Michael Francis faces a challenge that’s not uncommon for K-12 food service directors in major cities. “We are landlocked,” says Francis, Director of School Nutrition Services for Spring Branch Independent School District in Houston. “We can’t get any bigger and won’t be adding any new schools.”

The district’s 41 existing schools include early education centers as well as elementary, middle and high schools, and every building has its own kitchen with staff cooking on-site. Though new buildings with new kitchens would be nice, that’s not in the cards. “We can’t build any sites, but what has happened over the years is we take those older campuses and go through bond programs and rebuild them on the same site,” he says.

A merchandiser allows students to select their drink for the day. Previously, staffers had to place milk on ice in a pan.

Spring Branch ISD also has been able to launch piecemeal renovations of serving lines at several schools to help improve traffic flow and food safety. They’ve done so with the help of Foodservice Design Professionals, a design firm based primarily in Dallas and Houston, with remote locations in Austin, San Antonio, Tucson and Oklahoma City.

One recent project is Spring Woods High School. There, Francis worked with FDP to convert an indoor-outdoor concession stand-type setup to more functional serving lines that are now entirely indoors. The team completed work in August 2025.

Though the lack of cold winters in Houston made serving through the concession-style windows feasible in theory, the setup was no one’s favorite. Students queued up outdoors while staff were positioned inside, separated by a counter and sliding glass windows. Francis and his staff were able to fashion a serving line of sorts by opening the windows and positioning trays of fruit, drinks and wares such as napkins along the counter.

The lack of hot or cold wells was a challenge. Staff kept hot items under warmers indoors and handed them to students by staff through the window. “Food safety was a challenge. We were having to put milk on ice in a pan (on the counter) because we didn’t have a true merchandiser,” he says. “Now we have one merchandiser for students to be able to select their drink for the day, and the lines are completely inside so students don’t have to stand outside in the heat at all.”

With the old setup, a TV screen displaying menu options was positioned just inside the concession window, but students had to look through the paned glass to see it. Now, students step inside the building and view new menu boards displayed above the serving line, making choices more easily visible and enticing for students.

“FDP is able to take the vision that we have and put it into motion.”

• Michael Francis, Spring Branch ISD

The feedback from students has been positive, particularly the improved speed of service. “Previously, the setup included four service windows, though we typically operated with two or three at a time,” Francis says. “The new layout now features two dedicated serving lines—with cashier stations at the end of each line—with the flexibility to expand during higher-volume periods by utilizing mobile cashier stations with our touchscreen tablets. This allows us to operate up to four cashier points if needed.”

Francis hopes to have the opportunity to work with FDP in the future. “Our older middle schools, a lot of them are due for a new layout and a new look,” he says. “FDP is able to take the vision that we have and put it into motion. With our limited spaces, we can really only do so much and they try to take advantage of every bit of space they’re given.”

Menu boards are now more easily visible and enticing for students.