Discover who makes up Generation Z and find out how this newest generation differs from Millennials. The “Gen Z cafeteria” might be more nutritious and technology focused than you might have thought.

1. Generation Z
A Guide To Marketing
Your School Cafeteria
To The Newest Generation

2. Part 1: Who Are Generation Z?
Part 2: Digital Natives
Part 3: Building Your Digital Community
Part 4: Millennial Parents
ContentContent
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3. Generation Z (commonly called Gen Z or the iGeneration) are the latest
generation following Millennials. Generally, Gen Z’s are described as
being born between the mid-1990s to present. In other words, Gen Z are
the youngest generation that make up school-aged children.
What Defines Gen Z?
After age, what defines the iGeneration? Growing up in the wake of
September 11th and the Great Recession, Gen Z have an entrepreneurial
spirit and tend to be more independent than Millennials.
In Generation Z Goes to College, Corey Seemiller found that Gen Z desire
practical learning in place of things they can easily find online, and
prefer to work independently compared to group learning. For schools,
this could mean rethinking how they structure their cafeteria. Due to
their independent nature, Gen Z are more likely to reject a cafeteria with
little to offer in terms of choice or customization.
Gen Z is the most diverse of
any generation in the U.S.”
“
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Part 1: Who Are
Generation Z?
Part 1: Who Are
Generation Z?

4. The Choosy Generation
Being accustomed to choice and preferring
independence, school cafeterias need to consider
offering Gen Z more than just the predetermined lunch
meal. Schools that offer students a choice – either
through build-your-own salad bars or smoothie stations
– see an increase in participation.
Healthy Is In
Along with choice, Gen Z – and Millennial parents
– value health and nutrition. There’s a reason more
and more restaurants are focusing on healthier food
options. In this day and age, it’s almost a requirement
for restaurants to share the calorie information of their
foods. School cafeterias should think no differently.
With Gen Z students and Millennial parents both
accustomed to instant knowledge via the Internet,
school cafeterias should consider sharing their meals’
nutritional information or risk losing students to home-
packed meals, or eating lunch off campus.
The Gen ZThe Gen Z
CafeteriaCafeteria
Students crave healthy choices
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5. Natives vs Immigrants
First coined by Marc Prensky in
his book “Digital Natives, Digital
Immigrants” in 2001, the name
describes students who have grown
up with digital technology since birth.
These are kids who have never used
a payphone or read a physical map.
For them, pre-Internet might as well
mean pre-electricity.
At the opposite end you have ‘Digital
Immigrants’: older generations
who have seen the rise of modern
technology and adapted accordingly.
Plugged In From Birth
Prensky argues that Digital Natives
have brains that are literally wired
differently - a result of growing up
with the Internet, tablets, cell phones,
and computer games. How often
do you hear how students have
shortened attention spans or struggle
at focusing on a single task?
Kids are normally distracted, but
constant stimulation has made it
almost impossible for Gen Z to sit
and focus on a single task. Growing
up with access to instant gratification
has changed the way Generation Z
interacts with the world.
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Part 2: Digital NativesPart 2: Digital Natives

6. The Language Barrier
33 common mistakes
made by cafeterias
Not adopting new
serving techniques or
options
Communicating mostly
through posters, flyers,
or annoucements
Resisting social media
as a way to reach
out to students and
parents
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The fatal mistake made by Digital Immigrants comes from
their outdated approach to interacting and teaching Gen Z
students. It’s almost as if Digital Natives speak a different
language, creating a language barrier between their
generation and older generations.
If Gen Z is constantly connected with technology, either
through the Internet or their phones, then schools need to
use these mediums to advertise their cafeteria services.
Speak to Gen Z through their language - schools only have
a few seconds to grab their students’ attention, so use
images over words and digital communication over flyers
or signs.
The Language Barrier
Speak Their Language
Make menus mobile-friendly
Share lunch photos on social media
Use eye-catching images over lengthy descriptions
Use technology to speak with Gen Z
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7. Start Tweeting, Pinning, & Sharing
Anyone working in a school knows students are
constantly checking their phones. What are they
checking, you ask? Surprise; surprise: it’s Facebook,
Snapchat, and Instagram. Rather than fight against the
current, schools can capitalize on this medium as a
way to communicate with students and parents.
Instagram or Facebook?
Serving a lunch with beautiful and fresh fruits and
veggies? Share a photo on Instagram. Need to share
locations for your Summer Food Service Program? Post
location information on Facebook. Be it weekly menus
or special lunch events, social media should be a go-to
tool for schools to advertise their nutrition program.
Social media as a powerful yet free tool
Number of active users
(in BILLIONS)
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Part 3: Building Your
Digital Community
Part 3: Building Your
Digital Community

8. Go MobileGo Mobile
Put Your Cafeteria In The Palm
Of Your Hand
Make It Easy
Let students easily access your cafeteria
through their phones. Mobile menus,
quick balance reminders, and nutritional
information should only be an app away.
Mobile IDs Make It Simple
Mobile pay features, like student IDs
on phones, make it that much more
convenient for students to stay and eat
in the cafeteria.
When students can check their balances
on their phone or see what’s being
served that day, it makes eating in the
cafeteria the most convenient option.
Get Students Involved
Use technology, such as mobile apps
or social media, to get students active
in the cafeteria. Why not have students
review meals or see the most popular
food items? Companies like Yelp are
incredibly popular because people like
to review and see what others are saying
about particular items.
For students, this means easily seeing
what’s the most popular food item other
kids are eating. Districts, however, get
valuable insight into what meal items
students are more likely choose - a great
tool for curbing waste.
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Stuffing
Turkey
Cranberry
Sauce
Polls Encourage Engagement
Try online polls to gauge interest in
upcoming meal items or even have
students decide what should be served
on special occasions, like Halloween or
Thanksgiving.
Giving students more of a voice
encourages more engagement, which
in turn increases participation in your
nutrition department.

9. The Digital
Cafeteria
The Digital
CafeteriaUse technology to make your
cafeteria accessible
Schools must make their cafeterias – from menus to
ingredients – easily accessible online.
So what options do schools have available?
Start with adopting cafeteria apps like SchoolCafé. Mobile
tools like SchoolCafe bring the school cafeteria into the
modern age by allowing you to post menus, display nutritional
information, and let students share their meals online.
Gen Z students want to interact instead of passively receive.
If students can “plug in” to their cafeteria, check out upcoming
menus, and see how other students are rating certain menu
items, schools can boost participation in their nutrition
programs.
Keep in mind that Millennial parents demand more access
and convenience than previous generations. They are more
nutrition-focused than ever before and many have their kids on
specific diets. Letting parents have a convenient app to check
ingredient lists and allergens convinces them that the cafeteria
is a great place for their children to eat.
Start building your digital cafeteria.

10. Part 4: Millennial
Parents
Plugged-in & health-conscious
Not Your Typical Parents
To no real surprise, Millennials differ drastically
from Generation X or Baby Boomers when it
comes to parenting.
For starters, Millennials place a greater value
on their children’s nutrition than previous
generations. The generation that has caused the
rise of Chipotle and Panera Bread is applying this
same love for freshness and nutrition to their
children’s meals.
Health-Minded
A Barkley study, Millennials as New Parents, found
52% of millennial parents closely monitor their
children’s diet. It’s not a large leap of faith to
assume the generation that values locally farmed,
organic, and healthy foods will want the same for
their kids. If schools want to stay competitive and
cater to more health-conscious parents, they need
to focus more heavily on fresh menus.
Farm to School
A trend gaining popularity with cafeterias and
students is farm to school programs. Using
locally sourced produced, as opposed to national
food manufacturers, farm to school stresses the
importance of keeping food in the community.
Millennials have shown they are willing to pay
more and are loyal to brands that embrace this
communal attitude.
Schools should use farm to school programs to
not only support their local community, but to say
to Millennial parents, “We understand and share
your values for nutritious food.”
Births attributed
to Millennials
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Part 4: Millennial
Parents

11. The Digital ParentThe Digital Parent
Social Media Buffs
It’s no surprise Millennials are constantly
connected to technology, and that doesn’t change
once they become parents. According to that
same Barkley study, 35% of parents posted on
Facebook within the last day. More than ever,
parents are going to Facebook, Twitter, and
Pinterest to share recipes, review foods, and
investigate the foods and companies that feed
their kids.
There’s An App For That
Parents expect easy access to information
that affects their kids – especially if it involves
their health. What does this mean for schools?
Cafeterias, and the meals they serve, must
be transparent and easily accessible. Menus,
ingredients, and even calories should only be
an app away. Why? Because practically every
restaurant and fast food chain provides that same
service. Why would health conscious parents
choose their school cafeteria if they know more
about the meals being served at the local Panera?
School nutrition departments must embrace
apps like SchoolCafé that allow parents to see
cafeteria menus, check allergens, and know the
caloric information of specific items.
Millennial parents use technology to
review food and stay connected
Popular Social Media
Platforms For Millennials
1. Facebook
2. Twitter
3. Instagram
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12. AboutAbout
Stephen Vinson is a Content
Specialist at PrimeroEdge. As part of
his role in the marketing department,
he researches and writes educational
content related to K-12 school
nutrition. Along with this eBook,
Stephen has authored the 4 part
blog series, The New Kids In Class,
which looks at Generation Z in school
nutrition.
Find out more at primeroedge.com.
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13. SourcesSources
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prensky.com/writing/Prensky%20-%20Digital%20Natives,%20Digital%20Immigrants%20
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