Lincoln Northwest High School Cafeteria
Lincoln, Nebraska
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Lincoln Northwest High School in Nebraska, part of Lincoln Public Schools, opened with a new state-of-the-art cafeteria designed to meet the specific needs of a large student population. The project involved implementing a wide range of customized foodservice equipment, focusing on improving efficiency, catering to specific food preferences and meeting USDA guidelines. The collaboration among consultant Jennifer Rohn from Foodlines, Frank Gilgus, the local representative of Cre8tive Hospitality Solutions and LTI was successful in achieving these goals.
Crafting a cafeteria to meet volume, variety, and modern safety needs
The primary challenge was to create a cafeteria that could manage a high volume of students quickly and efficiently, particularly during peak mealtimes. Specific requirements included accommodating the school’s need for serving large quantities of pizza, french fries, and a variety of hot and cold salad bar items. Additionally, at the time, the cafeteria design needed to incorporate features that would allow for social distancing and mobile ordering, addressing concerns from the COVID-19 pandemic.
LTI’s customized solutions
Given the school’s requirements, LTI provided several customized solutions, including:
- Specialized serving stations: Customized pizza counters and french fry stations were designed to manage the specific demands of high-volume food items. These stations included double-level french fry serving areas with heat lamps to keep the food warm and ready for quick service.
- Mobile ordering carts: Two innovative mobile ordering carts were introduced to reduce congestion within the cafeteria. Each cart could hold over 80 meals, allowing students to order via their phones and pick up their meals without navigating through the main serving lines.
“We knew that high school students are very tech oriented. The idea behind the mobile ordering carts was to leverage that tech-savviness to help manage the number of students going through the cafeteria and alleviate some of the congestion during peak times,” said Jennifer Rohn, who led the cafeteria design.
- Custom salad bars and serving counters: The project included specialized salad bars to accommodate “make your own salad” stations and USDA-compliant hot and cold vegetable cups.
- LTI’s TempestAir technology was utilized in the cold wells and ThermalWell in the hot wells to ensure food remained at the appropriate temperatures.
- The colorful VisionDesign standoff panels made of an upscale 3form material added a layer of sophistication to the servery.
- Comprehensive installation and support: The installation process, managed by LTI’s team, was smooth and efficient, taking just over a week. Despite a few initial challenges, LTI’s customer service quickly resolved all issues. Rohn, who led the cafeteria design, praised LTI’s responsiveness, noting that even minor cosmetic issues were addressed immediately, ensuring the installation met all expectations.
“It is so easy to work with LTI and that’s why we keep using them over and over. They just make it so simple for us!” exclaimed Rohn.
Transforming meal service efficiency and setting the standard for future schools
The newly designed cafeteria at Lincoln Northwest High School exceeded expectations, significantly improving meal service efficiency. The specialized stations reduced wait times, and the mobile ordering carts alleviated congestion, allowing students to receive their meals more quickly. The aesthetic appeal of the cafeteria, combined with the practical and innovative foodservice solutions, was well-received by both staff and students.
The success of this project led to the implementation of identical solutions at another new school in the district, Lincoln Standing Bear High School, displaying the replicability and effectiveness of the designs and equipment provided by LTI.
This project shows just how much customization, innovative design and responsive customer service can make all the difference in creating a successful school cafeteria!
