Branding Your Program

Mission and Vision Statements

Start branding your program by writing a mission and/or vision statement. This will help guide messaging about your program and build your brand.

A good mission or vision statement will typically:

• Tell the school community who you are and what you believe
• Show why your work is important and valuable
• Provide guidance for your program as it develops

Some food service departments use both types of statements while others write only one statement or combine the two into one guiding principle. To write your statement/s, gather a small working group of key stakeholders (food service staff, administrators, parents, community members, students). This group should discuss what’s important to the program and develop statements that reflect the program’s values. Here are some examples of strong mission/vision statements:

• Novato Unified School District’s Food & Nutritional Services
• Cambridge Public Schools Food & Nutrition Services

Uniforms

Uniforms are another visual way to develop your brand. Not only can they be used to showcase your department’s logo, they can be used to show professionalism and encourage respect for school food service professionals. Uniforms can be as simple as matching hats and/or T-shirts with logos or eventually include branded chef coats as your program grows.