As your customers, it is crucial for parents, students and school staff to have their needs and preferences for the tuckshop menu heard.
This should be done in a carefully planned manner, otherwise the community may suggest ideas that are unrealistic due to our equipment or staffing situation, or that do not meet Smart Choices.
Community members can feel frustrated if they are given an opportunity to provide feedback but it is not adopted and no explanation as to why not.
- Set goals for the tuckshop
Give all community members the opportunity to provide feedback in the form of setting goals for the tuckshop. This can be achieved through a community survey, forum or brainstorming session with key community members.
It is important to set the overall direction for the tuckshop operation, incorporating the perspectives of the community with your business goals for profitability, service, menu, environmental impact, volunteering and more.
Check out this useful resource on goal setting for more information and ideas.
2. Research the student requirements
Talk to your school administration for information on the student demographics and dietary needs or ask in a community survey. For example:
- What cultural groups are represented?
- Do any students require halal or kosher foods?
- Are there students with dietary requirements or preferences, such as gluten free, vegetarian or vegan?
If we ignore students who have different dietary requirements or cuisines then we lose the opportunity for sales to this portion of our school community.
3. Provide structured opportunities for input
Seek feedback from the community from an established list of menu ideas that the tuckshop convenor knows are practical and affordable for the tuckshop to produce, whilst also meeting Smart Choices.
This could be achieved through a community survey, Facebook poll or physical poll outside the tuckshop (particularly handy for seeking feedback from high school students when they line up at the tuckshop).
If you do choose to openly ask for menu ideas, perhaps provide a disclaimer that not all ideas may be able to be adopted if they are not practical or do not meet the Smart Choices strategy.
4. Feedback to community
After conducting any consultation with your school community, always take the time to thank the community for their input, provide a summary of your findings and address any popular ideas that may not be able to be implemented, including an explanation of why.
Communicate your overall goals and new changes with positivity at the tuckshop window, in the newsletter, via posters, or on social media.
This resource was developed as part of the Healthier Tuckshops program funded by the Queensland Government through Health and Wellbeing Queensland.
