Transform Your Cafeteria & Bring Pride to Your School
The cafeteria plays an important role in a school however it's often overlooked. As the central hub for students and mealtimes, as well as other special events, it's vital to give this area attention. Not only should the cafeteria be organized and clean, but it should also bring a sense of pride to the school and the community.
It can be challenging for facility and maintenance managers to find the extra funding for large renovations and projects, however, there are simple and less expensive, things you can do to improve your cafeteria right now.
From renovating cafeteria furniture to adding custom signage, this guide will provide you with ideas on how to improve your cafeteria that won't break the bank. These affordable, easy-to-implement solutions will significantly improve the look and feel of your cafeteria, creating a space the whole school can be proud of.
Make old furniture new again
Furniture in the lunchroom, due to frequent use, gets worn down, scratched, faded, or even broken. Buying new cafeteria furniture is a large expense that many schools can't afford.
That's why renovating the existing furniture not only saves your school lots of money but will improve the look and functionality of your cafeteria seating.
Make sure to choose colors to match all your existing furniture. Some furniture parts, such as replacement stool seats, are available in colors to match your own school's colors.
Product Ideas for Cafeteria Furniture Renovation Parts
- Replacement cafeteria table stool caps
- Replacement tabletops and bench seats
- Replacement chair seats, backs, and shells
- Replacement table tops for general purpose tables
Whiteboards & bulletin boards aren't just for classrooms
Make menus and nutritional information readily available to students and staff. Dry-erase boards or easels are the perfect tools for kitchen staff to easily post daily breakfast or lunch menus.
Using bulletin boards around your cafeteria makes it easy to post healthy eating and nutritional information, rules for the lunchroom, or even news and events around the school and community.
Product Ideas for Cafeteria Boards
- Large standalone dry erase boards
- Portable dry erase boards & easels
- Portable directional dry erase boards with stanchions
- Traditional cork bulletin boards or fabric covered bulletin boards
Get students attention with custom lunchroom signs
Ranging from informative to directional, custom lunchroom signs can inform students of rules or guide students through busy lunch lines. An organized cafeteria will ensure efficient traffic flow so students will have sufficient time to eat their meals.
Signs can also increase school pride. By matching school colors and adding a school logo or mascot to your signs, this will create a cohesive experience, as well as an attractive environment, in the lunchroom.
Product Ideas for Cafeteria Signage
- Aluminum display frames & custom interchangeable vinyl posters
- Ceiling hung lightweight plastic signs
- Door entrance & visitor directional signs
Let students help take care of the lunchroom
Keeping the cafeteria clean is a tough job, but it doesn’t have to be. Make it easy for everyone to pitch in by providing multiple, well-marked trash receptacles in areas that correspond to the flow of traffic, such as the exits.
Next, make recycling a priority by adding recycling stations in trash collection areas. These should include easy-to-follow indicators for material types, such as paper and plastic. If you have an outdoor seating area, make sure trash cans are easily accessible and appropriate for outdoor use.
Product Ideas for Cafeteria Clean-Up
- Large capacity plastic trash cans & recyclers
- Heavy-duty capacity & portable trash cans & recyclers
- Dual trash & recycling stations
- Outdoor steel mesh trash cans
All of these simple solutions can be implemented quickly plus are inexpensive, saving you time and money. Using the tips and products listed above will transform your cafeteria into a clean, functional, organized, and attractive area. Not only will students, but staff and visitors also have a desirable experience, they will have something to be proud of.
We hope you found this guide helpful. To learn more about solutions to common school maintenance concerns, please visit the School Fix® Blog, or explore our vast collections of school maintenance products, we have everything from chair glides to locker parts.
