At Fallbrook Union High School District in Fallbrook, Calif., a switch to bulk meal service helped the dining team up menu variety, keep labor in check and significantly boost meal participation amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It was a huge win-win,” says Director of Food Services Judi Reynolds, noting that participation "has almost doubled" since the team began serving items in bulk.

In addition, “doing a whole pineapple, a whole cantaloupe, a honeydew melon, it was very cost effective because we didn’t have to do anything with it other than order it, serve it and pay for it,” she says.

On this episode of “Dig In,” Reynolds shares how her team adapted during the last year and hopes to bring some lessons learned into the future.