Could do better?

How do you evaluate how well a school catering operation is doing?
There are a number of issues to assess. First and foremost is a meeting with the catering company, or better, with them and the head teacher. You can decide immediately how much the service is on track, whether it's just trundling along or if it's way off the mark. Views and opinions of the catering team are crucial, although independent observation reveals the most. This involves seeing the facilities, meeting the staff and customers, and taking a look at the finances and contract arrangements. Sampling food is also a prerequisite. The vegetarian option is always a good culinary skill indicator and - this is my excuse for an expanding midriff - a portion of chips speaks a thousand words.

When monitoring a school catering contract what are the telltale signs that it isn't performing? Just think of the dozens of attributes of a catering function: book-keeping, cooking, cleaning, due diligence recording, client liaison, customer care and so on. Identifying one or two deficiencies in the above doesn't mean poor performance and and the need to sack your contractor. But a vast number of small points can accumulate to become a serious contract issue, especially when minor issues are not being dealt with quickly or, in some cases, not at all.

Catering staff are the main source of information. As a policy, information supplied by on-site staff is only used in a non-personal context; the last thing you want is to get a unit manager into trouble with their line manager. Staff tend to present themselves as either totally devoted or totally disgruntled with a big hang-up about their employer.

An instant telltale sign is unhappy or unmotivated employees. If they refer to their employer as "them", you sense there is a problem. Also, the smell from the kitchen can tell you a lot.

Do the problems occur mostly front of house or behind the scenes? Problems at either end affect each other. School caterers tend to be extremely well organised in terms of timing and production, and rarely do you find lunch service not ready when the bell rings. Indeed, most caterers ensure the bain-marie and display counters are ready up to 30 minutes before service. This includes the chips, incidentally.

Putting the actual food and its quality aside, front-of-house problems can exist. Queuing is usually an issue, as is speed of service, but this is normally a shared problem.

Sometimes, food prices at the point of sale, and in other locations around the restaurant, are unclear or confusing. Rectifying this, so the children have the right cash in hand, means speedier till transactions.

The till is also the point when contractor, staff and customers come face to face. Some catering staff will tell you, "This is war," when they are faced with lots of rude and boisterous kids. How this situation is handled is crucial to ensure a good customer interface.

The client and contractor need to understand the counter activity, otherwise a client may simply report that customer service is poor. The catering staff need to be open on this subject and ask for help, even daily, if need be.

What's the most common failing of a school catering contract? And how can a caterer solve this? There are all sorts of failings, such as poor communication, food quality, service, accounts, dirty can-opener blades. But the most common problem is oil management. Caterers sometimes fail to filter, test and change oil regularly. Polyunsaturated oil does saturate over time, and this is when the oil produces seriously unhealthy food and creates that telltale smell of bad oil management. That's why checking the smell in the kitchen is important. If it smells, talk to the experts - both the oil supplier and the light equipment supplier.

What sort of training schemes are most successful in improving the contract's performance? Contractor training schedules are vast, varied and include everything from COSHH to computer training. But the most apt and productive areas to address are:

• On-site food production and presentation techniques.
• Nutritional guidelines.
• Talking to schools and local education authorities.
• How to turn a grim-faced student into a happy, high-spending customer.

I acknowledge that the above aren't your run-of-the-mill courses. But not enough attention is given to the points being made. The most important training you can supply to a catering team is the feeling of belonging, and that means making them feel they are the most important people on the company's payroll.

Are the relations important within a school contract? How do catering managers on the ground go about opening dialogue?
Relationships are the very essence of the contract. Going cap-in-hand to a client at the onset of a problem, with an apology and a thought-out recovery plan, not only ensures excellent client relations, but also reduces the initial problem. The biggest relationship issue is between the area manager and the catering manager at the school. This can be amplified when there is a change in either position.

Contract caterers always offer added value, meaning they do more than contractually required. It's in their nature. Resolving issues when it wasn't your direct fault requires a certain style. Take the lead on most occasions and explain clearly the points and the way to fix them. Let's face it, few of your clients are actually caterers and almost all appreciate someone else fixing things.

As for area, business, account or general managers, they are the main interface of the company and they have to make some immediate decisions. If you don't have the power to do so, then find another company. Area team members also need to feel they belong and are the most important people on the company's payroll.

Some exceptional unit managers, with an abundance of skills, may find it hard to talk to the client. Contractors need to pick up on this quickly and support these individuals accordingly; we aren't all eloquent speakers.

Essentially, when you've got a catering manager who fully represents his or her company and can communicate in a friendly and professional manner, you've got yourself a top performing contract.

Five examples of best practice in the school mealS catering sector There are some superb ideas, innovations, styles, and good practices in many of the schools that Tenet monitors and visits. I discovered the first one listed below in an Essex primary school two years ago, and I have been recommending it ever since.

• Pick-and-mix chilled lunch, where children can pick one item from five trays of different foods. Trays can include sandwiches, fruit, cakes/cookies, yogurt and corn/potato snacks.

• Fruit, painstakingly portioned to make it more attractive and easier to eat. This takes time but is worth the effort for all who do it.

• Vegetable crudit‚s in bags.

• A catering manager, who is obviously at ease with the boss and has good relations with his client, causes the client to refer to him as "his" manager.

• A catering manager with culinary skills, who is prepared to take a risk and produce a meal with good ingredients that are a bit unusual. We need to lose the attitude that "the kids don't buy anything unusual, therefore we never try".