Catering Survey Feedback | Highcliffe School

Catering Survey Feedback

Thank you for your responses.


Firstly, a big thank you to all those who took part in the catering survey which happened over Easter. We had a fantastic 221 responses and the overall rating given was 3.65 out of 5 which is very pleasing. In fact, over 60% of respondents rated the service either a 4 or 5.
 
Main reasons for awarding favourable scores were quality of food, kitchen staff and choice of food. Only 8% of respondents rated the service below 3, some of the areas of concern included running out of food (or the item they wanted), expense (where certain items were not always felt value for money) and queuing.
 
Over 73% felt their dietary requirements were being met, with over 60% visiting most days and at both break and lunch. The main servery was the most popular location with 72% saying it was the location they used most.
 
In terms of prizes winners from our random draw, here are the winners:
 
1st Place - Thomas Woolley - £25 voucher
2nd Place - Sophie Cunningham - £15 voucher
3rd Place -  Daniel Jupp - £15 voucher
 
The Staff winner was Ms Brodie Kersey with a £20 voucher.
 
Congratulations to all the winners.
 
The survey also showed us there is significant interest in a Breakfast service and news about this will be coming soon as will be social media links about offers and promotions.
 
In terms of learnings and areas to focus on we will be working closely with Taylor Shaw on what can be done, but it is worth drawing your attention to some of the significant changes over the last 8 months:
 
1) We now have dietary information on the menus (under students on the school website) and on the TV screen in the main hall, which also lets you know what is on at each servery station.

2) We have removed a significant amount of plastic from the packaging. All wraps, sandwiches, salad boxes, take away trays and cutlery are either biodegradable or compostable. In the coming months all of the pots that hold grapes etc. and the larger carrot sticks versions will be replaced by compostable corn-starch versions and that will just leave us with the plastic bottles to look address. We offer free water and you all had the drink bottles at the start of the school year and we have also introduced cans which can be recycled, but we are looking at other options to completely remove plastic from our catering.

3) In the menus, we have introduced Vegan and Dairy free options and a wider selection of items and that reflects in the score that 73% of the customers that completed the survey, feel their dietary requirements are considered. However, having a greater choice does mean items will occasionally run out and we ask the kitchen to try and keep food waste to a minimum. The take up of different foods is monitored constantly and volumes adjusted but you will be surprised how these can vary between a sunny and a rainy day for example.

4) With regards to social media, more than half of our students would like to follow Taylor Shaw catering on social media and see more food offers & promotions through mobile apps and screens. We are currently working with Taylor Shaw to improve this line of communication to advise and promote via the School apps and Website.
 
Taylor Shaw has also responded below to the Catering survey the main individual comments posted.
      
Speed of Service
With a School of 1400 pupils, the average service time for most pupils to get through the main dining room is 15mins for lunch and 10mins at break. With over 400 to 600 students visiting the dining hall in one go we are proud of the fact we can serve so many in a short time especially when many high street food brands would not be able to cope with the sheer volume of customers. However, we recognise that there is still room for improvement and we are working with the school to improve the speed of service in all areas.
 
High Price

We regularly benchmark the Catering tariff with other local Schools and it is on par and much lower priced than the high street. However, it is important that we recognise the survey and look at value for money. While many products selling price reflect the cost to buy the product, we will look to do more cut-price promotions over the weeks which will be advertised though the school media platforms.
 
Choice
Currently we have many different varieties of food that are offered daily and while we look to try and meet every customer’s individual need, we must take into consideration most of our customers. Results from the survey show that while many of you want heathier food, there are the same amount that want more carb loaded fast food. Other than paninis & pizza, the food changes daily every lunchtime over a 3-week cycle and there are several healthier options including help yourself Salad bar every day. However, if you have an idea of what you would like to see on our menu, please speak to our Catering Manager who would be happy to listen to your suggestion.
 
Food Running Out

As a company and with the support of the school we are striving to reduce food waste as high levels of food being dumped does have an impact on the environment. Our food production is monitored, and we review it daily, but it is very hard to anticipate people’s choices. As we only have a service time of 20mins for break and 40mins for lunch and we cannot make food on request, so the choice of food offered naturally reduces by the end of service with some variety’s running out. There is always food left but not the same choice as the beginning of service. Customers who are coming in at the end of service will unfortunately always have less choice
 
Going Forward
We really appreciate our customers taking part in the catering survey and upon gathering the results and feedback will look to action the following points over the weeks.

1) Introduce an early morning breakfast service before the start of school as a trial. If successful,  will become a permanent new service.

2) Look to do special promotion days from the pod.

3) Look to add a fourth till in the dining room.

4) Extend the breakfast choice in the 6th form as requested.

5) Work with the school more closely to promote more special food offers and food advice though the school media.

6) Introduce a “talk over the counter scheme”, where if you have any concerns with the food or beverage you have purchased that it is not up to standard please speak to a member of staff who will be happy to replace or refund your money.

7) “Taste before you try”. If you are not sure about purchasing a product because you may not like it them simply ask a member of staff to let you taste it before deciding.

8) If you do have major dietary requirements, then talk to the catering team to see if they can help you.

9) While many of our food packaging is biodegradable. Taylor Shaw will keep striving to reduce plastic packaging
 
 
Again, many thanks for taking part as it has provided invaluable information and insights which will help continue to improve the school’s catering.


    Owned by: SFR | Last Published: 24/05/2019 11:38:33 | Next Update: N/A


In This Section

Download

Prospectus



Download