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Creative names■■Describe healthy choices using fun, imaginativewords to excite and appeal to children, forexample ‘scrumptious’ and ‘mouth-watering’.Give new healthy menu items catchy titles, like‘Crazy Carrot Sticks’ or ‘Bananarama Smoothie’.You could try using characters from children’smovie and television shows. You could alsouse sport-themed items like the ‘Thorpedo Roll’named after swimmer Ian Thorpe.SpecialsSpecials may be special days, special weeks ordaily specials (an addition to the regular menu).They can:■ help introduce a new product at a good priceto entice buyers■ be used to represent value for moneyon healthy products and encouragehealthy choices■ assist in reducing wastage and maintainingincome by helping sell slow sellers, excessor leftover stock.It is important to price special days or menu itemscompetitively. Remember that a special works onincreasing volumes of sales. Money can be savedon the cost of ingredients and labour so mark-upson each item can be kept lower. Some schoolsuse extra funds from special days to invest inimproving the canteen. The school’s parents andfriends association or SRC might like to join thecanteen to help manage and run a special dayas a joint fundraiser.HINT: When planning a special meal deal ortheme day be prepared for an overwhelmingresponse! Pre-ordering can help plan fordemand and make sure that enough stock isavailable on the day. A pre-order form could beincluded as part of the promotional flyer.Meal deals2 for 1 dealsThese provide an excellent way of reducingproduct waste at the end of the week, for example‘Buy a small carton of milk and receive a freepiece of fruit’.Lunch and snack packsA meal deal including a meal item, snack anda drink is a great opportunity to include fruit,vegetables and dairy, ensuring that the meal is inline with dietary guidelines. It is also a great wayto make healthier food choices easier for studentsas the food is sold as a package. Price the mealdeal at a slightly lower cost than the combinedcost of the individual items and advertise this costbenefit. Give the meal deal a theme or catchyname to appeal to students and keep an eyeon food advertising for ideas. For example, if apopular fast-food restaurant is promoting chickenwraps this month promote your own lean versionof chicken wraps. An example of a snack pack isthe ‘Road Runner Pack’ which could include:■■■■a chicken drumstickmultigrain rollbanana or orangea small carton of milk.Theme daysTheme days are a great way to trial new healthyitems. They may offer a few special menu itemsor a new special menu as an alternative to theregular menu. This can save time, as canteen staffwill only need to prepare a limited range of foods.Often parents who are keen to volunteer butunable to commit to a regular day will be willingto volunteer on special theme days, so advertisewidely for help for these days.Theme days should be planned well in advance inorder to allow enough time for promotion. Considerwhat the promotion is to achieve. Is it to trial a newproduct, promote fruit and vegetables or dairy foods,or provide children with variety and something new?Focus more on the fun aspects of such promotionaldays, and less on the healthy food message.Tie theme days in with the school’s calendar. Usesports days and special calendar dates such asreligious and cultural events. Health awarenessweeks provide an excellent opportunity forpromotions. For example, calcium-rich smoothiescan be offered during Healthy Bones Week.Theme days can also be linked to what studentsare being taught in the classroom, for examplehistory, the environment or international studies.Draw on current high-profile events such as theAustralian Open or the AFL Grand Final or evenrecently released movies. The possibilities areendless. The manuals and websites listed in theinformation and resources section of this manualprovide many more theme and promotion ideas.42 I Healthy Canteen Kit – Canteen Manual