New Food Service Rolls Out New Menu and Look at Brownwood Schools

Brownwood ISD’s newly hired food service provider, Southwest Food Service Excellence (SFSE), rolled out their new menu items and welcomed students, teachers, administration and the media to their open house held Monday during the lunch hour at Brownwood High School.

SFSE’s Director of Regional Operations Ashley Haley along with a few other corporate representatives were present to help cafeteria employees on their first day of the new selections. According to Haley, the goal of the company is to make fresh culinary creations that are not only healthy, meeting federal and state requirements, but also that attract students to buy lunch and actually eat and enjoy the food.

BHS volleyball coach Lorie Beelby stated that the students and teachers are excited about the new food service.

“I think the kids are excited about the change. When they are happy kids, it makes our job easier,” said Beelby. “The kids were grumbling and complaining (about the previous lunch selections and quality) and not eating. When athletes don’t eat, they don’t do well in practice.”

The three usual lunch lines will be available with a variety of foods each day, divided by food types. The décor and themes had more of a food court appearance.

The first line, “Adobe Grill” offered Mexican food. Students are offered a choice of taco shells, tortilla chips or a tortilla to fill with a choice of real ground beef, beans and/or cheese plus a variety of special toppings including sour cream, jalapenos and salsa.

Breakfasts will also be served from the “Adobe Grill” line, with a mixture of sweet and savory items such as breakfast sandwiches, pancakes or waffles and cereal served with juice and milk.

The second line, “Luigi’s Eatery,” offered a choice of Italian foods, pizza or chicken spaghetti with marinara sauce. Bread sticks and corn were also served.

The third line, “Ballpark Classics” served traditional cuisine, such as items found at a ball park – hamburgers and sandwiches such as spicy chicken or grilled ham and cheese. Although burgers were not offered on Monday, they will be available on future daily menus. “Red Dragon” Asian foods is also featured in the third line.

Each line also featured pizzas (pepperoni and cheese) along with packaged salads and a small all-you-can-eat salad bar. There were also choices of fresh milk, fruit and vegetables within each line.

“You eat with your eyes and your nose first, then you actually eat your food,” said Haley. She explained that people choose food first by sight and smell then by taste. They hope that the new changes within the cafeteria will inspire the students to eat more and be healthy by choice.

BISD Superintendent Dr. Reece Blincoe stated that some of the campuses within the district need some slight remodeling to allow more visibility of the food service area and less enclosure so that the smells of these culinary creations can attract students. He stated that the administration staff had toured a few of the schools and sampled items at each campus.

“We had great pizza at Woodland Heights Elementary and pasta and breadsticks at East Elementary. All the kids loved it and said it was ‘way better,’ we’re excited,” Blincoe stated. “I love the fresh fruits and vegetables available in the lines, you’d be surprised at the elementary—they are taking them. It’s an exciting day for us and it looks like the kids are taking advantage, so we’re excited about that.”

BHS Principal Bill Faircloth ate lunch in the cafeteria Monday and stated that this was probably the fourth time in ten years that he had eaten in the lunchroom. He chose to sample the “Adobe Grill” menu with tacos.

“It is good, doggone good. I’m quite impressed,” said Faircloth.

Sophomore Krista Brock was eating at the same table stated that the “Adobe Grill” choice “tastes like an actual taco, like what you would find at a 1-star restaurant.”

Another student, William Crawford was excited about the food stating, “It’s fantastic, like pizza from Little Caesar’s. I want food like this every day.”

World Geography teacher and coach Jay Clark stated that he had breakfast today with athletes and coaches.

“Breakfast was a big hit with the coaches. There was more variety,” said Clark. “I like the fruits and vegetables right there, gives the kids a good choice.”

Menus by the week and the month are posted within each line to let students plan when they would like to eat at the different serving lines. Haley stated that all students can eat in the cafeteria and that the prices have not changed because of the new service.

“All lines are part of the reimbursable meals program,” said Haley. “Kids with free and reduced lunches still get the same meals as private pay students. This way the food captures any student.”

Other than food quality and choices, students often complain about the “A Lunch” not having enough table space for students. Some eat sitting on the floor at times, according to students. Dr. Blincoe stated that he and Assistant Principal Mitch Moore are working on a solution to this problem by trying to establish an outdoor eating area in good weather. He stated that possibly picnic tables could be added outside of the cafeteria and the atrium could be utilized for an eating space in the near future.

According to Haley, Southwest Food Service Excellence originated in Arizona and now operates in Texas, New Mexico, Missouri, Arkansas, and in California. Some of the school districts serviced by SFSE include Brownwood, Alamo Heights in San Antonio, Bandera, Devine, Uvalde, Leander, Grand Prairie, Lubbock, St. Louis (MO) and some smaller districts in east Texas. SFSE is in its 6th year in Texas with over 30 school districts’ K-12 grade campuses as its clients.

BISD signed a contract with the company in December to take over the district’s food service operations.

Pictured above and below are photos of the food, service areas and students during lunch on Monday.