Outsourcing Summer Camp Food Service
When you are used to being responsible for the kitchen, food purchases, kitchen staff, special requests, and the list goes on, it might be a daunting challenge year after year. Changing the way you manage the kitchen does not have to be scary, and it can really relieve a significant amount of pressure from the leadership team's shoulders.
I feel that the campers and staff will benefit from a long-term and synergistic connection with the food service management company you use. I'll go over a few different adjustments and how they will or will not affect your camp in the sections below.
Being Responsible for the Kitchen
Even if you partner with a food service management company, you should be fully involved in the process. Most food service providers require that the kitchen is set up and functioning properly, that equipment is maintained, that the hood system is in good working order, and that all city rules are followed. If equipment breaks or fails during the summer operation, it is the camp's responsibility to get it fixed as soon as possible.
Purchasing of Food
Most, if not all, third-party food service businesses will take on this responsibility. Because this is one of the ways that food service businesses generate money. We use our purchasing power in order to get better prices, as well as cooking from scratch, which is ultimately less expensive but takes more competent Chefs. You will have to let go of this portion, but you will save money by not having to deal with accounts payable, looking through invoices, and other administrative and accounting associated expenses.
Hiring of Chefs
This is a biggie! This is by far the most serious kitchen problem that Summer Camps face. Chefs, cooks, food service managers, and other professionals of high caliber are difficult to come by. In other words, you can leave this to the food service company and not worry about how you'll fill these roles or what you'll do if one of them doesn't work out. Make sure the service you choose has a strategy in place in case staff needs to be replaced in the middle of the summer. This should also relieve a lot of pressure from your shoulders when it comes to summer planning.
Special Requests
This will take some getting used to because you won't be able to take whatever you want from the walk-in or dry storage. However, this might lead to a more organized process in which the kitchen handles unusual requests to ensure that camp has what it needs for programming.
How does this effect my budget?
Using a Food Service Company will almost certainly increase your costs, but it will pay off in the end. The food is one of the top factors influencing registrations, so make sure your food is well welcomed by both campers and staff - not to mention accommodating, tasty, and plentiful. So, at the end of the day, it's a pricing trade-off — if you utilize a food service provider and free up time to focus on programming and what you do best at camp, the kids will benefit.
Whether you can let go of doing your own food service or not, you should talk to other summer camp professionals who have worked with Summer Camp Food Service companies to for advice that may help you decide if outsourcing is good for you and your camp.
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