5 Ways to Put the CAFÉ in Cafeteria

Coffee shops are incredibly popular right now, and K-12 students visit coffee shops regularly for a fun place to hang out with their friends. By incorporating coffee shop-style drinks, as well as other cafe elements in your cafeteria, you can bring this on-trend café environment to school.

Coffee Shop-Inspired Drinks

YoGo Coolers are a coffee shop-inspired twist on yogurt smoothies. Made with Yoplait® ParfaitPro® yogurt and assorted flavorings, YoGo Coolers use the same equipment as K-12 blender-less smoothies—simply whisk ingredients together, no blender required. These on-trend coffee coolers will elevate your school meal program perception and make beverages students might normally select off-campus available at school. Plus, refreshing coffee drinks made with yogurt are especially good for filling up active, growing kids because of their high protein content!

The Café Environment

Here are some tips inspired by Good Times Café, a customizable fast-casual café concept we’ve created for K-12 operators like you.

1. Chalkboards! Place menu boards with daily offerings written on them outside your cafeteria, or paint an entire wall of your lunchroom with chalkboard paint and use it to display menus, announcements and questions of the day.
2. Put on an upbeat playlist. You could change the playlist seasonally or accept students’ requests. Just be sure to screen any requests before playing them! (Short on time? Get a ready-made age-appropriate playlist right here
3. Group tables to create communal seating. Many fast-casual concepts are adopting large communal seating areas, and coffee shops have had big long tables for years!
4. Serve fast-casual-inspired entrées and coffee shop-inspired beverages in appealing grab and go packaging. YoGo Coolers, made in three easy steps, are a great place to start.
5. Get more great tips from Good Times Café!

Click here for Free YoGo Cooler posters, playlists and more!

Interested in even more free downloads, recipes and inspiration? Check out Good Times Café, a fast-casual concept we’ve developed specifically for K-12 operators like you.