The “P Soup” Production Company Presents… Product, Presentation, Place, Promotion…. Ingredients for Marketing Success Title Slide: The “P-Soup” Production Company presents: Product, Presentation, Place, Promotion……Ingredients for Marketing Success.

Act 1 Would YOU Eat Here? Would YOU Eat Here? Listen and observe the scenario presented. List things you see, hear and observe that do not contribute to good marketing techniques for your Child Nutrition program.

Act 2 Everyone Wants to Eat Here Listen and observe the scenario presented. List things that you see, hear and observe that contribute to successfully marketing your Child Nutrition program.

Talk Soup What was right? What was wrong? What’s going on in your “soup bowl”?

1st P . . . Product High Quality Consistent Desirable Let’s take a look at the “ peas” in our soup…. The First P is for “Product.” Product should be high quality, consistent in appearance and taste each time it is served, and desirable to customers. The First P is for Product. Product should be (1) High quality (2) Consistently the same in appearance and taste (3) Desirable by your customers

Standardized Recipes Standardized recipes provide a consistent and safe product. By using standardized recipes, products will be high-quality, consistent, and desirable each time they are served.

Evaluate Food Quality Would foodservice staff choose to eat this food? Do they taste their product? Do others taste new menu items? Evaluate your food quality. Does the foodservice staff taste the meals? Would foodservice staff choose to eat this food? Do you ask others to taste new menu items prior to including them on your menu?

2nd P . . . Presentation We eat with our eyes and then our mouth If it looks good, we will taste it, If it tastes good, we will eat it 2nd P …… Presentation. We eat with our eyes and then our mouths. If it looks good, we will taste it; if it tastes good, we will eat it.

Color is Critical Batch cook vegetables in small quantities. Avoid using poor quality ingredients, overcooking and holding “fragile” foods more than 20 minutes. Batch cooked Vegetables add bright color to a meal when raw or cooked correctly. Batch cook small quantities to retain color. Avoid using poor quality ingredients, overcooking and holding foods more than 20 minutes.

Garnishes and Height add Eye Appeal Well-planned garnishes add eye appeal to foods. Height subtly increases appeal also, such as shredded lettuce piled high on a sandwich.

Proper Plating Sample Trays Place foods attractively on plate or tray Sample plate or tray offers an “idea” Customers notice when food is placed on the plate or tray attractively; they especially notice when it is not. A sample tray or plate prepared and on display can guide students to select a healthy meal by giving them an idea of what to choose.

Customer Senses are at Work Aromas Lighting First Sightings Sounds When customers first enter the cafeteria, their senses are at a heightened state of sensitivity. Are there pleasant aromas? Is there adequate lighting on the cafeteria line to enhance the colors of all the selections? What is the first thing customers see on the line? Do they see new items daily? Offer fruits and vegetables first on the line to entice customers to choose them. A bowl of fresh fruit near the cash register may offer another way for a student to complete his or her meal selections. A sample tray can guide students to select a healthy meal by suggesting a healthy combination of appealing foods…AND THIS LEADS US TO THE THRID “pea”….PLACE (NEXT SLIDE)

3rd P . . . . .Place Is the Cafeteria an Inviting Place? Take a good look at your cafeteria. Look critically to see it through your customers’ eyes. Ask your customers for their opinions about the space. Does it need fresh paint? Is it clean and free of clutter? Is there ample lighting – both natural and artificial? Are tables/chairs in good shape? Are attractive items on the walls, such as murals, banners, flags, posters? What can you begin to work on to make it more inviting?

Evaluate your Facilities Are facilities and equipment clean and without clutter? Evaluate your facilities often and constantly look for ways to improve the dining environment.

Make it a “Destination” What will your students remember about the cafeteria long after they are gone from your school? Recruit PTO, parents, art classes, community volunteers and students to help make it an inviting place to eat and meet friends.

Kids like the Unusual Kids tend to like anything that is new and different. Always consider the pros and cons of seating arrangements.

Utilize Wall Space Well Posters – change often Banners Murals Utilize wall space effectively and attractively in your cafeteria. Posters are free or inexpensive sources of good information; change them often to keep students reading them. Fabric banners may contain the school mascot or information of a more permanent nature. Wall murals, painted by parents, students, art classes or volunteers, add a festive touch to the cafeteria environment.

4th P . . . .Promotion Create a Student Advisory Group An active student advisory group can be your best ally in your promotional efforts. Students are your biggest customers and they can assist you in many ways, including selection of new menu items, suggesting catchy names for menu items that appeal to their peers, and special menu promotion ideas.

Recruit Students from: Each grade level Diverse groups Class with high CN participation rate Non-participants Student clubs Culinary Arts class FACS classes Students can be selected for CN Advisory Groups in a variety of ways. Some groups to consider include: representatives from each grade level, representatives from diverse population groups in your school, the class with the highest participation level in school lunch or breakfast, non-participants, student clubs, culinary arts classes, and Family & Consumer Science classes.

Advisory Groups can: Taste new food items Suggest menu items, special menus, catchy names for foods Manage a “suggestion box” Suggest rewards for healthy choices Be ambassadors for your CN program Student Advisory Groups can be ambassadors for your CN program. In meetings, they can learn about the basic purposes and guidelines of the School Breakfast and Lunch Programs. They can taste-test new products, suggest menu items, and suggest special menus for special occasions. They can create catchy names for menu items that will get the attention of other students. They can be responsible for a suggestion box in the cafeteria and student surveys in the school for the CN program. They can also help to decide on types of promotional activities that reward students for healthy choices made in the cafeteria. They can also utilize technology to promote the CN program, such as the school web site.

Bulletin Boards Up-to-Date Student-Led Interactive Educational Consider bulletin boards as valuable space to convey a timely nutrition education message. Student advisory groups can be responsible for changing bulletin boards. Bulletin boards will get more attention if their message invites activity from the students. They might contain questions or answers to activities that are part of the dining experience in the cafeteria. Simple table tents (made by student advisory group) are effective for teaching good nutrition concepts also.

Evaluate Your Customer Service Does the staff interact positively with the students? Does the staff encourage students to try fruits and vegetables and new foods? Evaluate your customer service. Does the staff interact positively with the students? Does the staff encourage students to try fruits and vegetables?

Basic Customer Needs •To feel important •To feel respected •To feel welcome •To be recognized •To feel appreciated •To get tasty, nutritious food •To feel comfortable Basic customer needs include: To feel important; to feel respected; to feel welcome; to be recognized; to feel appreciated; to get tasty, nutritious food; and to feel comfortable.

Follow the P Soup recipe: Product Presentation Place Promotion Add liberal amounts of each ingredient to every meal Summary slide: Follow the “P-Soup” recipe: Product, Presentation, Place, Promotion. Add liberal amounts of consideration for each ingredient to every meal!

THANK YOU!