Cafeteria face-lifts increase participation by 20%

PALM BEACH COUNTY, Fla. — Decorative lighting, digital menu boards, and tv's. These are just some of the things you'll see in several cafeterias in Palm Beach County schools cafeterias these days, not to mention more food choices.

"We have an Asian line, Italian line, American line," said Maggie Prieto, PBC Schools Food Services General Manager.

It's an ongoing effort for the district since 2010 when it started the "High School Reengineering Program."
Cafeterias get a facelift, more time slots for lunch, and more nutritious food offerings. The idea is to make them a place that students will want to be.

"Really give them something different that they haven't seen before and introduce them to what colleges and corporate environments are doing," said Ben Friedman, PBC Schools district chef.

Schools like Forest Hill Community High School have had the program for a couple of years, and officials say it's also increased participation in the school lunch program.

"On average the first year, it's a 20 percent participation increase that we see which is significant," said Prieto.