How Austin ISD Enhanced Efficiency, Sustainability

At Austin Independent School District, Ryan Mikolaycik oversees foodservice operations for 69,000 students attending 115 schools, each with its own kitchen. “I see ourselves as the largest restaurant chain in Austin, Texas,” says Mikolaycik, executive director of foodservice and warehouse operations for Austin ISD. “We do over 10 million meals per year, breakfast and lunch combined, and our budget is $40 million.”

Mikolaycik has partnered with Mod-U-Serve to replace outdated serving lines in his elementary and middle schools. “We designed our serving lines to really focus on sustainability,” he says. “We do a (combination of full-service and) self-serve to reduce plastic and paper and we do waterless wells to reduce water. Then we have stone tray slides with LED lighting to really elevate the food.”

Austin ISD can add new serving lines over one weekend, versus waiting for a long summer break, as a result of Mod-U-Serve’s efficient installation process.

The new lines start with three hot wells, from which employees serve hot entrees. “We have a pass-thru right there and that’s key, because we want to make sure we put the hot food on the tray, and slide that through (to the student),” he says. Students then move down the line to fill their tray with fresh-cut fruits and build-your-own salads from self-service cold wells. “If our hot choice is a burger, we are going to have lettuces and tomato down there. For more of a southern meal, like a barbecue drumstick with mac ’n’ cheese, then we have watermelon. We have cold trays above where we can put a composed salad, or we always have the option of a SunButter and jelly sandwich and we put that on the cold line as well. We leave space there for all of our sauces and condiments, whether that be ketchup or guacamole, the squeeze bottles sit in that cold well.”

Previously, students grabbed sides pre-portioned in paper boats. “Now we prefer self-serve because we do believe the kids are more willing to try and eat something if they put it on their own tray,” he says. “I always say that using pen and paper (in the classroom) connects the brain to the information. It’s the same with using tongs. You’re not just grabbing something pre-portioned. Maybe today a student takes just one wheel of pineapple. Maybe tomorrow he takes two. If a kid can put lettuce on their own plate with a little ranch, it’s a baby step.”

The new lines have allowed Mikolaycik to eliminate paper boats. “I can say that we have saved, over the last two years, over $400,000 in disposable portion-control units,” he says. “We have saved labor and it’s not so much (that we’ve saved) money, but instead of employees spending time portioning out fruits and vegetables, (they) can use that time for more scratch cooking. It’s better utilization of labor.”

The new lines end with milk coolers, a reversal of their previous beverage-first lines. “What happened before was Mrs. Jones unleashes her third grade class and they all show up at the milk well. The kids are just so excited and they’ll jam in there and everyone wants to grab their milk and it creates chaos,” he says. “Putting the hot food first, it sets the tone for the day that that’s the main show. And it sets the mood for the experience of what eating at a restaurant is like. When you go to Chipotle, the drinks are at the end.”

Mikolaycik has seen other benefits, too. “From a training standpoint, the standardized serving lines really help with consistency and efficiency because teams will go from school to school, and the unified serving line really does help with training,” Mikolaycik says. “If you go into In-N-Out Burger or a McDonald’s, people like that consistency. We should be that consistent, too.”

“From a training standpoint, the standardized serving lines really help with consistency and efficiency because teams will go from school to school.” – Ryan Mikolaycik, Austin ISD

One of the most appealing parts about working with Mod-U-Serve is the company’s ability to install serving lines over one weekend. “(This gives) the district the flexibility to make continuous improvements throughout the school year, rather than relying solely on the limited summer break window,” says Nick Sierra, business development manager with Chrane Foodservice Solutions, Mod-U-Serve’s sales partner.

The transformations are wow-worthy for students and staff alike. “When we get a new line over the weekend and they come in on that Monday and the kids are like, ‘What?!’” Mikolaycik says. In particular, Mod-U-Serve’s stone tray slides have garnered the biggest reaction from students. “They say the funniest things like, ‘This is so fancy. We are like a rich school now!’ or “Is this marble?’” he says. “They truly love it. They feel that it enhances their lunch experience.”

By the year’s end, all Austin ISD elementary schools and half the middle schools will have updated lines. “Next I want to work on the high schools,” Mikolaycik says. “I will end up needing another bond project for that because there are more lines and more detail, but that’s what my future goal is.”

To learn more, visit the Mod-U-Serve website.