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Vendor reports higher participation, menu changes and spring promotions for Mount Pleasant schools
Summary
Southwest Food Service Excellence told the board it has expanded a la carte offerings (an estimated 55–60% increase), plans additional breakfast carts to boost participation, is exploring an in‑school garden, and expects to serve roughly 750 families in its summer feeding program.
Travis Schreiber of Southwest Food Service Excellence updated the Mount Pleasant Public School Board of Education on the vendor’s annual partnership goals and program results, including menu changes, student surveys and summer feeding plans.
Schreiber highlighted five partnership goals under the contract: enrich the café experience, expand meal selections, enhance staff catering, launch a garden program, and work with the wellness committee to increase participation. He said a la carte offerings have grown “by probably 55, 60%” and described student taste tests — including jambalaya added to the menu after positive votes — and middle‑school survey work that yielded hundreds of responses.
Participation data presented included a middle‑school survey and a smaller high‑school sample; Schreiber said about 48% of high‑school students reported eating breakfast daily or several times a week and 81% reported eating lunch daily or several times a week. He noted plans to add mobile breakfast carts to increase breakfast uptake and to pilot signage and promotions to highlight vegetarian and gluten‑free options.
Schreiber also said the vendor expects robust summer distribution and that last year’s summer feeding application rose from 600 to 700 and he anticipates closer to 750 this year. Board members thanked the vendor for student engagement and discussed better cross‑committee collaboration (wellness, belonging), equipment investments, and the role of local partners in hosting taste tests and workforce partnerships for the tech center.
Next steps: staff and SFE will continue to refine menus based on survey results, investigate additional breakfast carts and garden‑program grant opportunities, and continue summer‑meal planning.
