Bring Quality and Financial Success to Illinois School Districts

Gen Z and Gen Alpha have made it clear they want good, tasty food like what they see online and in viral cooking shows—even during school hours. Meals served with only budget in mind won’t cut it anymore.

of K-12 students report the reason they don’t eat school breakfast is the foods offered are not appealing/not tasty ¹

of kids ages 8-18 report they only eat a school lunch when there is something they know they like being served ²

of students 13-20 say they would most prefer lots of variety on a menu over a focused menu ²

Aramark is the largest independent provider of dining services in North America — managing over 360 school nutrition programs and serving nearly 370 million meals per year to more than two million students. While handling the entire scope of school nutrition programs, from menu creation to staff training, our goal is to support each district’s educational mission by providing the highest-quality nutrition program with the most variety to power your students’ potential in the classroom and beyond.

See What Other Illinois Schools are Saying about

Aramark Student Nutrition Dining Services

Breakfast in the Classroom

“Participating in this breakfast program has been a very good experience. After eating breakfast, my students are ready for learning. In the past, I had students who would complain about being hungry. The complaints would come at different times in the morning. I would give them a little snack. It would be disruptive to the routine, and others would then want a snack too. Since starting the BIC program, students aren’t hungry and are more engaged in learning.”

Sandy Hooper

Kindergarten Teacher
Taylorville Community Unit, School District #43

Hospitality Culture

“Today, I was the observer for a teacher evaluation that took place in the cafeteria with one of our transition students. It was so wonderful to see the way the Aramark staff interacted with our student and her teacher. As the parent of a special needs student, I can only hope that there are people like the Aramark staff at my daughter's school making her feel this appreciated and part of the team.”

Eric Gallagher

Assistant Principal
Harvard Community Unit, School District #50

Talent Acquisition & Retention

“Aramark is continually working to provide a workplace that is attractive to current and future employees.”

Dan W. Cox

Superintendent of Schools
Rochester CUSD 3A

Food Variety

“The menu options continue to expand and are innovative with new meals that appeal to the youth of today.”

Dan W. Cox

Superintendent of Schools
Rochester CUSD 3A

Community Involvement

“Thank you so much for your assistance during the Harvard High School Day of the Dead celebration this school year, on November 2. More than 500 students participated in this event, and your contributions supported about 100 of those students. Through your work, you have demonstrated leadership and commitment to our HHS students and staff. Your positive attitude honors our teaching profession. We feel fortunate to work alongside empowering colleagues like you, and we are thankful for being part of the same HHS team.

Thank you for being a shining light in the lives of our students and staff through your hospitality services.”

Armando Valdés Rivera

MAEL, Spanish Teacher/Spanish Club Advisor/Fine Arts and World Languages Division Chair/Assistant Cross Country & Track CoachHarvard Community Unit, School District #50

Food Quality

“I especially like the way Aramak works with our students to develop, test and introduce new healthy food options in the cafeteria.”

Eric Gallagher

Assistant Principal
Harvard Community Unit, School District #50

Seizing New Opportunities
in K-12 Nutrition Services

New legislation allows schools to invest in dining innovation. Here are just a few of the features and benefits schools that partner with Aramark are experiencing:

Chef Councils
student advisory council
Local Restaurant row
Fresh foods
digital solutions
community wellness
culinary alliance
student chef competitions

Chef Councils

Through Chef Councils, we create customized programs that build excitement about school meals and support student culinary engagement. Our chef councils have introduced students to new and exciting foods through guest chef series events and showcased culinary arts career paths for students through culinary instruction and interaction with local chefs. They have also exposed kitchen staff to new recipes and culinary methods.

Student Advisory Council

We engage with students through our Student Advisory Council, taste tests, focus groups, surveys, and daily feedback to introduce new menu items that students love and make improvements to all aspects of the program.

Local Restaurant Row

We partner with restaurants, food trucks and local chefs to bring students authentic, local favorites and global flavors, as well as support the local community.

Fresh Foods Grown on Site

Through hydroponic and aeroponic growing programs, we’ve partnered with schools to not only use ingredients in student menus that are fresh and grown locally, but also provide students an opportunity to see and learn about how food is grown first-hand.

Technology & Digital Solutions

From online and in-app menus and updates for students and parents, to QR code meal ordering, we provide students with convenience, customization and increased satisfaction with school meals.

Community Wellness

Wellness programs, local sourcing, career opportunities—we find innovative ways to strengthen communities.

Student Nutrition Culinary Alliance

The program brings together creative chefs to collaborate on creating innovative new recipes and sharing best practices with schools.

Student Chef Competitions

Students can participate in Aramark’s annual district and regional chef competitions. Aramark Student Nutrition chefs support student teams in developing their recipes and preparing for these events, and work closely with school culinary instructors. Student recipes are featured in school menus, celebrating their achievements.

At Aramark Student Nutrition, we believe food powers potential.

That’s why our culinary and hospitality teams are empowered to proudly and passionately serve healthy, tasty foods capable of bringing out the best in every student. We know students are savvy with their food choices. We make sure to provide them with inspiring culinary options that grow their palates and keep them coming back for more."

Barbara Flanagan

Aramark Student Nutrition President

A Positive Partnership

As your partner, we handle recipe and menu development, food purchasing, production, safety, financial management, marketing, USDA compliance and staff training and development. Students in our partner districts enjoy meals that excite them, and administrators can focus on other important priorities – all enabled by our extensive network of resources and over 60 years of experience continually raising the bar for school nutrition. The result is students get the nutrition they need to achieve their potential and the school nutrition program operates successfully without relying on general operating fund dollars.

Aramark Student Nutrition's comprehensive portfolio of services and programs, well-trained teams, and a commitment to ongoing innovation create the perfect partnership so you can continue focusing on your main mission while further powering the potential of Illinois students and communities through culinary experiences

Aramark Student Nutrition Dining Services

Bring Quality and Financial Success to Illinois School Districts

Our mission to provide continuous improvement and customized solutions for each school helps districts thrive financially while students receive nutritious, tasty meals.