Best Management Company Concept: Sodexo 2013

Did You Know (DYK) Café was developed by Sodexo specifically to appeal to that notoriously hard-to-please student demographic, the “tween” middle school and junior high student. It does so with a combination of branded food concepts and menu items designed to mesh with that age group’s taste preferences while complying with federal school meal regulations. It also includes an educational component revolving around a “did you know” approach that uses “fun facts” and “tips of the week” to convey information about nutrition, exercise and healthy eating.

Piloted at five sites in spring 2011, it was rolled out to more than 570 in 33 states nationwide this past school year. The results: a 8.9% meal count increase at the sites where Sodexo took over from another operator and a 3.3% increase where it replaced another Sodexo program, according to the company. The concept was designed based on extensive research into how to appeal to youngsters in their tween years.

Project Team:

Richard Hill
Senior Director of Schools Strategic Marketing – Executive Sponsor
Brian Finn
Senior Director of Schools Program Development & Deployment – Project Manager
Nicole Allen
Senior Marketing Manager – Field Implementation
Jeff Clarke
Senior Marketing Manager – Field Implementation
Logan Lash
Senior Marketing Manager – Field Implementation
Sandra Perry
Senior Marketing Manager – Field Implementation
Will Taylor
Senior Marketing Manager – Field Implementation  
Donna Hansbury
President, Ideaworks Food Marketing – Creative Agency Lead