To say school lunch is big would be an understatement. U.S. schools served over 4.8 billion lunches last year, and on a typical day over 29 million students eat at 95,000+ schools. With that scale, the tools you choose to serve quickly, safely, and attractively matter. Below are four Cambro workhorses K-12 programs rely on to lift participation and keep lines moving.
Versa Food Bar® (Salad Bar): Cold Holding, Hot Participation
When it comes to salad bars, there’s a good chance your school already has a Cambro on the floor. A staple in K-12 for decades and a trusted piece of equipment from Cambro, the Versa Food Bar in its current format takes versatility to new levels with mobile setup, staff-serve or self-serve layouts, and simple cold holding.
Operators rave about the presentation and kid-friendly access with results that show in participation. “When the fruits and veggies are on [the Cambro salad bar], they look amazing… the black contrast… makes the fruit and veggies pop,” says Bob Gorman, Executive Director of School Nutrition at Cleveland Metropolitan School District.
Why Schools Love It
- Cold holding made simple: By adding the pre-chilled, optional Buffet Camchillers®, the Versa Food Bar keeps items safely chilled for standard lunch windows, while eliminating the mess of ice.
- Elementary-friendly ergonomics: Low-height configurations improve reach and reinforce utensil use.
- Campus-ready mobility: Smooth casters and durable construction for quick moves from cafeteria to hallways or other campus locations.
- Smart layout: Compatible with standard food pans and accessories so you can reconfigure between lunch menus and special events.
- Easy to clean: Smooth surfaces, seamless design with drain faucet for easy drainage and cleaning.
Pro Cart Ultra®: Hold Hot and Cold, Anywhere on Campus
When service stretches beyond the cafeteria, the Pro Cart Ultra keeps hot entrées and chilled sides at spec in one dual-zone cart. Stage overflow by the line or roll to classrooms and annexes, and every meal served is consistent in quality.
“We knew how many hot meals and how many cold meals… that was the beauty of the Pro Cart—top half for hot entrées and sides, bottom for milk and cold entrées; one vessel.” — Beth Morris, School Nutrition Director, Lynchburg City Schools.
Why Schools Love It
- Dual-zone flexibility: Hold hot and cold in the same cart to cover staggered lunches and satellite service.
- Temperature confidence: Gentle, even heat and reliable active cooling protect texture and quality.
- Hours of protection with and without power: High-performance insulation keeps food at safe temps during transport or staging.
- Menu-friendly capacity: Pro Cart Ultra models are available with varying capacity options that can accommodate GN food pans, sheet pans, trays, pizza boxes, and more.
- Built to move: Molded handles, rugged casters, and corner bumpers for daily routes and tight hallways.
Cambro Vending Cart (CVC75): Add Points of Service Where Students Are
In most K-12 programs, the Cambro Vending Cart is part of the daily playbook. It rolls out where traffic is highest, takes pressure off the main line, and keeps participation steady day after day.
“Just by simply putting a Cambro Vending Cart out there we had more participation.” — Elizabeth Alfaro, Director of Nutrition Services, Collier County Public Schools.
Why Schools Love It
- Line relief, fast: Add a second or third service point to cut cafeteria queues and serve more students within the bell schedule. (Redlands HS measured +31% after placing carts strategically.)
- Campus-ready mobility: Heavy-duty casters and a compact footprint let you cross quads and hallways easily.
- Flexible setup: Open wells hold GN pans, packaged items, or ice for beverages; optional covers convert to a prep/checkout surface.
- Branding that pulls traffic: Wrap panels with school logos, menu promos, or QR codes to guide students. Many districts report visibility alone boosts turnout.
Compartment Trays: Faster Lines, Clearer Portions, Lower Waste
In busy lunchrooms, compartment trays standardize components, speed plating, and cut out guesswork which means more students through the line without losing control of cost or nutrition targets.
“We use three types of Cambro trays in different ways to support student choice and sustainability.” — Pam Haupt, Foodservice Coordinator, Columbia Heights Public Schools.
Why Schools Love It
- Speed of service: Pre-set wells turn “What goes where?” into muscle memory for staff and students, shortening each handoff.
- Portion accuracy: Consistent entrée, fruit/veg, grain, and milk placement reduces over-portioning and keeps reimbursable meals on spec.
- Sustainable by design: Reusable trays cut single-use disposables and reduce daily trash volume.
- Flexible formats: Cambro offers a variety of school compartment tray options in sizes, material and colors.
Customize your School Compartment Tray by clicking here.
National School Lunch Week is about outcomes you can measure: higher participation, safer temps, faster lines, and less waste. The four Cambro essentials in this guide align to those goals every single day. The Versa Food Bar puts produce front and center and lets students choose what they’ll actually eat. The Pro Cart Ultra protects quality from the kitchen to any corner of campus, so every meal has the same quality consistency. The Cambro Vending Cart adds everyday points of service where traffic is highest, easing pressure on the main line and keeping counts steady. And compartment trays standardize portions, shorten handoffs, and cut disposables.
Author: Felix Bazgan is the Director of Digital Marketing at Cambro.
