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K-12 On Demand: Sodexo’s Keith Stewart talks about the rollout of the company’s new FoodIE Café program for middle schools

After a successful pilot, FoodIE Café is ready to roll out to middle school meal programs operated by Sodexo this fall.

Mike Buzalka, Executive Features Editor

July 22, 2021

FM On Demand and K-12 On Demand are video interviews with onsite dining professionals who talk about creative and interesting initiatives they have developed or undertaken.

The middle school market is evolving into one that is highly diverse ethnically and more adventurous in its food preferences than previous generations of tweens, including being more demanding about vegetarian and other specialty options. Management company Sodexo, which operates school foodservice programs in hundreds of districts around the country, sought to better understand this emerging market through some intensive research and as a result developed a concept specifically designed for middle school environments called FoodIE Café.

FoodIE Café was successfully piloted this past year and is ready to roll out this fall.

FM caught up with Keith Stewart, vice president of marketing for Sodexo K-12 to learn more about what was learned in that pilot and what the rollout plans are

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About the Author

Mike Buzalka

Mike Buzalka

Executive Features Editor, Food Management

Mike Buzalka is executive features editor for Food Management and contributing editor to Restaurant Hospitality, Supermarket News and Nation’s Restaurant News. On Food Management, Mike has lead responsibility for compiling the annual Top 50 Contract Management Companies as well as the K-12, College, Hospital and Senior Dining Power Players listings. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in English Literature from John Carroll University. Before joining Food Management in 1998, he served as for eight years as assistant editor and then editor of Foodservice Distributor magazine. Mike’s personal interests range from local sports such as the Cleveland Indians and Browns to classic and modern literature, history and politics.

Mike Buzalka’s areas of expertise include operations, innovation and technology topics in onsite foodservice industry markets like K-12 Schools, Higher Education, Healthcare and Business & Industry.

Mike Buzalka’s experience:

Executive Features Editor, Food Management magazine (2010-present)

Contributing Editor, Restaurant Hospitality, Supermarket News and Nation’s Restaurant News (2016-present)

Associate Editor, Food Management magazine (1998-2010)

Editor, Foodservice Distributor magazine (1997-1998)

Assistant Editor, Foodservice Distributor magazine (1989-1997)

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