Testimony

Michael P. Berry

before the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition , and Forestry

March 4, 1997

Mr. Chairman and Senators:

It is my pleasure to appear before you today to discuss the topic of school food service, and the important role it can play in the development of our most precious asset….our children.

I must say, I was very surprised to receive an invitation to appear before this committee, as I have never worked in the school food service area. So I must assume that my presence today is a result of a speech I gave before the American School Food Service Association's National Convention in Phoenix on January 18th.

During that presentation, I tried to share my insights with the ASFMA membership on how they might bring "magic" into their school cafeterias.

Today, I'm here to share a similar message and hopefully, to offer some ideas you might find stimulating, eye-opening and even, useful.

If you're remembering back to your own grammar school days, you may also be thinking that the words "magic" and "cafeteria" form a strange oxymoron. However, I believe, based on my own experience, that there is a powerful connection and I think our schools can tap into it.

In the late 1970's, there was a renewal of sorts in how campuses delivered quality food service to their customers. I was part of that new generation of managers which sought to find marketing and customer-focused answers to higher education's food service challenges. And, I believe the issues we faced were amazingly similar to those facing K through 12 food service today.

The reason this renewal in collegiate food service started is because college cafeterias had become fueling stops for students, rather than an extension of an otherwise enriching environment. Do you see this happening today for grammar schools around the country? I worry that some administrators and managers have become so focused on the issues of counting calories, following mandated directives and completing the necessary paperwork, that a holistic approach to our children's food needs has been lost.

So often, I see school systems choosing quick solutions to important issues, like bringing fast food into grammar school cafeterias. This is not the only answer. There is an opportunity to take a broader perspective and concern ourselves not just with nourishing children's stomachs, but their souls as well.

It was against that context that I addressed the members in Phoenix last January, and both challenged and applauded them on efforts to seek better solutions to their problems. And it's within this context that I will rely on my 17 years in the non-commercial segment to elevate our thinking today.

I must also say that my remarks are based solely on my own personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the thinking of my current employer, The Walt Disney Company. I am in no position to make policy for the Company in the area of school food service.

This is not an issue we are focusing on as a potential business interest, nor as a field we have commercial interest in other than as responsible citizens, caring parents and members of the many communities we impact.

For the purposes of our conversation today, I'm going to draw from my knowledge of the commercial industry and my experience in the private sector, as head of Harvard's food service program where I earned the illustrious reputation as the "Mealtime Messiah".

Actually, I'm very proud of that "title" and I do think we earned it. Let me tell you why—we created a dining experience that students not only enjoyed, they looked forward to. We took a rather broken, bureaucratic system and infused it with imagination, optimism and a dose of creativity and magic.

We pushed the boundaries to extend our thinking beyond the traditional view that service and quality equal value to the belief that it's the TOTAL EXPERIENCE which creates value. I think this applies to the school food service program too. Because of the constraints of time, I will focus on the dining experience of grammar school aged children. However, you should keep in mind that these very same ideas may apply to other age groups.

Let me give you only a couple of explicit examples of how one might think differently about the grammar school dining experience.

As you scan your local communities and many tourist destinations, you can see that restaurant dining has taken on a new look. It's called "eatertainment".

The idea being that, today, it takes more than just quality, cleanliness and service to add up to customer value. That people expect a degree of interaction, involvement and entertainment in order to feel that they have received real value for their money.

The idea behind this trend is that the restaurant becomes an experiential destination, a place where you want to be, where you're engaged in the total experience of the meal and it exceeds your every expectation.

I think this concept can be taken from the commercial industry and transplanted into our schools. In this way, the cafeteria becomes more than a place kids go to "fuel up" for the day, it becomes an experience, a destination…a place where students really want to be.

Whether it's viewed as an escape from the rigors of study or an extension of the school day experience, the issue may be, how can schools create an atmosphere where students can go to eat and just feel good about being there?

Kids like to be in a place which is theirs—for them and about them. So, part of the question is, how do we create a space that students feel is their own, a sense of "place"? How do we transform our school meal programs and cafeterias from a "place to eat" to a place to experience, a destination that is all about "me"?

Perhaps there's a way to insulate the cafeteria from the "outside" world and the demands of learning—a mid-day refuge for young minds. Or, maybe it becomes a place where more learning occurs, but on subjects the children choose.

Close your eyes. Imagine your grammar school cafeteria. Do you see a big rectangular room with long tables, few aesthetics, and stainless steel serving lines?

Wow, it looks like we all went to the same place!

So, what's interesting about that memory? Carry that to today, how many of you choose "cafeteria" when you decide to go out for a meal?! There is no magic, no sense of "place" no desire to even go there.

If this is accepted as the status quo in our schools, then the cafeteria will never be a "destination". It will never realize its potential to become a mid-day respite, a place to learn, somewhere to be with friends, a place to laugh or even, a place to seek comfort. It will just be, "the cafeteria." Yet with a little creativity, and perhaps little cost, schools could breathe magic into that very same space.

Let's start as we would with any popular destination - the entrance with its queue line. A well-designed queue serves as a buffer, a time to decompress and unwind. How many of us think about the "lunch line" that way?

Why not make it fun?! It's as simple as putting something in the queue that engages the students as they wait, from ever-changing posters to inter-active technology. Maybe the walls could be designed so that young artists could create while they wait in line, thus tapping their creativity while making the time go by.

Like adults, children need to be engaged while unwinding from the rigors of their day. The cafeteria will only be a respite and destination if it is different from the rest of the school experience.

When the children enter the servery, it needs be comfortable and accessible. Drop the counters to the kids' size. Surely kids don't feel welcomed when the cafeteria line is way above their heads, and well-meaning folks in white uniforms look down on them. Is this the right dynamic? Or, should we drop that counter, costume our service employees in bright and vibrant colors, and make the servery a fun experience?

As for the food, it must comply with the unwritten but sacred rules that children eat by:

Rule One: Make the food fun and easy to see. Don't serve it in stainless steel pans, when there are vibrant colors that ignite the senses.

Rule Two: No mystery food. Kids want to know what they are eating. You can however present the familiar food in the unusual way. For instance, a cookie can be round or it can be shaped like Mickey Mouse. Which one do you think they will choose?

Rule Three: Kids don't like to eat food that has touched other food. They like food that they can play with and combine themselves, and often with their hands, but they do not like food that has been served on a plate touching other food.

The servers must do their part by being outgoing and they must enjoy dealing with children. If you don't like children, then perhaps being in the school cafeteria is not the right job for you. We should hire people that are willing to bend over and meet and greet children at their level. As adults, we expect it, but it may be missing in many school cafeterias.

I think of most grammar school cafeterias as large, unattractive, multi-purpose rooms. Yet as human beings, each of us finds relaxation in a different way and we are drawn to different space(s) and types of ambiance.

Why not create different zones within that common room, so children can choose where they are most comfortable. Once they have, they can relax in the space they most enjoy.

Some will want to be in a high-energy place, while others will choose more quiet, contemplative surroundings. Give them those choices. Surely a rectangle can be divided into four smaller spaces, each with its own sense of "place", and each inviting to differing personalities.

As I mentioned briefly before, the cafeteria could have various activities going on in addition to eating.

Perhaps each day of the week could have a different theme or activity, like storytelling. Or, we might consider serving the meal in a different way, like hosting family style dining, where children would go to a table, and the food would be passed around on various platters.

This might break the monotony of line service, and give the kids a sense of "family", comfort and community. The really courageous manager might even use this opportunity to subtly teach etiquette and table manners, and the entire meal could also be a lesson in sharing.

Our school food service programs must also consider image. At Harvard, we viewed ourselves as part of a preeminent university. So, we created our own brand of pizza, our own marketing campaign and a customer comment system to ensure we were meeting the needs and desires of the people we served.

I have taken a few minutes today to touch on what is, perhaps, a superficial level of the school food service issue. Many people far more knowledgeable than me will have better and more creative solutions. But, my point is, that there are other ways to view this issue.

At the most basic level, I would expect our local communities to decide what they want of their school food service program. The suggestions and ideas I've offered can only happen when communities and our government at all levels choose to release creative talents on the important issue of in-school child nutrition.

One final thought. Food is not only about the nourishment of the body, but also of the soul. In my opinion, it's a shame to feed the souls of our children with fast food. There IS a better solution.

Thank you for permitting me to appear before you today.