Business operations

General procedures

General procedures are all those details that, when put in place can make either the starting of a canteen service smoother or the running of an established canteen an easier process.

Procedures and processes provide direction and clarity for canteen staff, volunteers and the Parent body or employer.

Having written documentation ensures the clear establishment of tasks, roles, responsibilities and timelines as well open and transparent lines of communication. This is particularly important when transferring knowledge from one person to another.

Promotion and marketing

Promoting the canteen is vital in creating a connection between the school community and the food service, the canteen should be looked upon as part of the community not isolated from it.

There are a variety of ways this can be achieved such as theme days, promotions and advertisements either around the school or in newsletters, competitions and even surveys of the students. You can also advocate for a healthy school environment to raise the profile of the canteen and the importance of health and nutrition.

See the tools and resources below for suggestions on ways you can make a big difference often with minimal effort.

Human capital is the most important resource of school canteens and those who employ the canteen staff including volunteers and must be treated with love, care and respect. Those who work with or for the canteen in any school do so because they care for the wellbeing of the school community.

Human resources refers to the people working in the canteen as well as the people who manage them. In the case of school canteens it is often the volunteer parent body who is responsible for the employment of canteen staff and the canteen staff are often responsible for the volunteers in the canteen.

Human resources includes all aspects of recruiting, training and managing an employee or volunteer from their job application, payroll, upskilling, establishing positive workplace culture, optimizing employee productivity and handling employer-employee relationships. Foodcore has a suite of tools and resources to make this task easier.

Foodcore does not have the expertise to offer specific employment advice, we encourage you to refer to a Human resources expert and to seek advice about entitlements and rates of pay for canteen staff from Fairwork or the Department of Commerce.

Public school P&C Associations can also contact WACSSO for advice