Page 22 - The EDGE Fall 2025

CHILD NUTRITION

BY KATHY GLINDMEIER
Cafeteria Manager Recipe

Kathy Glindmeier
What does it take to be a good cafeteria manager? It’s better to have a great employee for two years
I have been asked that question many times over than an employee who has potential to be held
my 35 plus year career in child nutrition and have back to avoid turnover!
come up with a few key ingredients. First and
foremost, a kitchen manager needs a good heart. The last ingredient is a sense of humor. Research
It’s been said people don’t care about what you has shown that four-year-olds laugh up to 300
know until they know how much you care, and that times per day. The average 40-year-old adult
is very true for school cafeteria managers! They laughs four times a day. We want to keep humor
need to have good organizational skills to make in our hearts and use it throughout the day to lift
effective and efficient use of their time. Along the spirits of the people we work with. One of the
with that, they need a strong work ethic. We lead qualities of child nutrition employees that amazes
by example, and our employees will model their me and keeps me engaged with the profession
supervisor’s behavior. The task stretches the time is the ability to find wonder and joy in feeding
allotted, and new employees need to be instructed hungry kids. Whether it’s decorating the serving
on how to work smarter, not harder! lines or remembering the students’ names, child
nutrition employees have a positive impact on
Cafeteria managers should be willing to address students every day!
issues with students, staff, and parents. Being
transparent helps people be their authentic self Kathy Glindmeier can be reached at:
and keeps the lines of communication open. kathy@azfoodbanks.org
The person who can most accurately describe a
problem without laying blame, will emerge the
leader. A strong manager will put the needs of
others ahead of their own while focusing on the
big picture. An example of this is a manager who
consistently trains his/her employees to become
managers and advance their career.

"It’s hard to lose a good employee
to a promotion, but a good manager

recognizes another employee is

waiting to be trained."

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22 THE EDGE FALL 2025