Cook once, eat twice.
You may have heard this saying before. Cook one dish that can be served two ways. This is true for the tuckshop too. Creating dishes that can be served in multiple ways as variety to your menu, while saving you time.
Shop once, cook twice.
Gathering supplies once trumps gathering supplies multiple times. Yet, this isn’t happening in many places across the state, where P&C run-tuckshops and outside school hours care are ordering, preparing, storing and serving food separately – when this could be done more efficiently through the sharing of resources.
Sherwood State School P&C Business Manager, Lisa, decided to investigate ways in which the Tuckshop and OSHC could share resources for each business to run more efficiently, making some changes in early 2025. And it is so far, so good!
They were lucky enough to employ Maddie, a qualified chef, for 15 hours per week (Tuesday – Thursday). Maddie divides her time evenly between prepping food for both the Tuckshop and OSHC.
In the morning, Maddie works alongside Tuckshop Convenor, Alisha to prepare bulk, hot dishes for the tuckshop that can be prepared and frozen in advance. This has helped the tuckshop move away from a reliance on commercially bought dishes allowing the menu to be healthier AND more profitable.
For example, it costs the tuckshop $2.45 / serve to make Chicken Lasagna. It sells for $5 and is a VERY popular item for both students and staff alike. Buying individual lasagnas from the supplier is close to $4 / per serve, meaning that not as much profit is made on this item when sold for $5.
The in-house lasagna is rated GREEN against Smart Choices, where commercially bought items are AMBER or RED, depending on their nutritional information.
Making items on-site means that Maddie can adapt these to suit dietary needs, so for each daily special that the tuckshop offers she ensures that she has a gluten-free and dairy-free option, making these choices very popular for those with dietary requirements.
Tuckshop staff have noticed an increase in sales since Maddie commenced, with a preference towards the items made onsite. Staff spend in the tuckshop has also increased, with some staff reporting purchasing the (aforementioned) chicken lasagna to take home to eat for dinner!
During Harmony Week, the tuckshop offered daily meal deals highlighting different foods from all over the world. It was a huge undertaking, but so worth it! The kids loved the different options offered each day (and just quietly, the parents also loved the break from lunch boxes!).
Maddie spends the afternoon preparing food for up to 200 students attending after-school care. Menu items served at OSHC include muffins, nachos, wraps, pasta, soup and the ever-popular pizza.
Some of the toughest critics (Naomi’s children) were blown away that “Maddie even made the pizza base!”
When planning the tuckshop and OSHC menus, the team work together as to not double up or overdo certain menu items – to keep both menu options interesting for the kids.
Space is currently limited in the tuckshop, but they are hoping to move to a model where menu items (like Bolognese) can be prepped and frozen for both the tuckshop (smaller portions) and OSHC (large trays) service.
While this model is a work in progress for Sherwood, it has benefited the overall operations of the tuckshop and OSHC.
Sharing resources, staff, equipment and ideas makes financial sense, promotes operational efficiency and assists in covering planned or unplanned leave.
OSHC afternoon menu
