When it comes to exhibiting creativity in your operation, creating your own brands is about as good as it gets. Think about it. With your own brand, you can design a product or service from the ground up. You can spice it, color it, size it, name it, logo it, wrap it, promote it. And if it’s not a rousing success right off the bat, you can tweak it slightly, overhaul it extensively or drop it and start all over again.

“I just love this part of my job. It’s the fun of the creation,” says Carol Kehrer, foodservice director for Charlotte County School District, Punta Gorda, Fla. Beginning in 1996, Kehrer has branded what she refers to as “the school under a Champ’s Café name.” Working without outside advisers, she and her staff have created a highly successful, self-branded, sports-themed foodservice program for her district’s three high schools. Charlotte High School, where the branded program is fully implemented, has a staggering 92% participation among its 1,800 students. (The national average for school lunch participation among high school students is closer to 40%.)

What’s Your Motivation?

Operators start down the self-branding path for a variety of reasons. For Kehrer, the original main purpose of the 11 branded food court stations was to minimize lunchroom lines and maximize the time students have to eat. At the University of New Hampshire (UNH), in Durham, the purpose of two selfbranded concepts was to expand the menu to include chicken and vegetarian items in a minimum of available space, in a short period of time, and with little cash outlay.

In Dallas, Texas, self-branded programs and products have been used by Mary Kimbrough, FSD at Zale Lipshy University Hospital, to establish a local identity in a crowded, competitive healthcare environment as an inventive, trendsetting, healthful, upscale food provider.

In New York City, Carol Sherman, senior director of the food and nutrition network for Mt. Sinai NYU Health, says in-house brands on such items as pizza and baked goods “let our immediate world of physicians, administrators, medical students, and employees know that we have talent and ability within our management and culinary team.”

Morrison Management Specialists recently introduced a branded concept program, Spice of Life, specifically designed to meet the needs of hospital cafeterias. It’s design is based on extensive research into the preferences of the customers who frequent this particular segment.

“This program brings together a cohesive offering of both the classic best of American cuisine and the newest things that you’ll only find if you search out those little bistros and cafes," says Curt Seidl, corporate executive for culinary programs. The first venue to feature the new program is Northwestern University Hospital (Chicago).

The concepts, named after spices that suggest the outlets’ offerings include Basil’s Pizza & Pasta, The Wild Sage Grill, Caraway Deli, Allspice Café (traditional American favorites), Sesame (Asian), Spice Event (rotating international menus), Peppercorn Greens (salad bar), Cinnamon Sticks (desserts) and Tarragon Garden (specialty salads).

A Matter of Principle

“We built our business by serving fresh, hot, quality products. I don’t think you can do that by bringing in food prepared off-site,” says Kehrer. “Our whole emphasis here is about serving a complete reimbursable, healthy meal at a price the student can afford. We’re delivering a higher quality entrée at a lower cost because we use government commodities. It’s a healthier menu because we control the specifications. Branding our products has sold our program to the students.”

“When we do our own branding and we do it right, we sell our own store,” says Jane Wynn, school foodservice director for Broward County, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. “When we sell someone else’s product, we send a message to the students that anything other than a commercial brand is inferior.”

Wynn, who is planning to install some of Kehrer’s concepts in her district, thinks the branding “will increase our participation. I also think we’ll sell less junk food because when students don’t have enough time to eat, they grab snacks instead of sitting down with a complete meal.”

Do You Have What It Takes?

“It’s our food that sets us apart, it always has been our food,” says Dallas’ Kimbrough. “Our reputation is for interesting, on-trend, healthy

food. There’s a feeling in here of very talented chefs at work. If you’re in a market where there’s a lot of competition, selfbranding canmake you stand out as different. But self-branding is not something every operator can or should try. If your customer base is more about getting a big meal at a low cost, then this wouldn’t be the way to go.”

“If you have the ability to develop your own brands and do it well, then why would you lock yourself into someone else’s formula?” says Sherman. “Sure, if I wanted a pizza program and I didn’t happen to have chefs on my staff who actually trained in Italy, then I’d go to an outside pizza provider. But when I do that, I totally give up my ability to modify the recipe and ingredients to what my customers want.”