As students head back to school, school food teams across New York are getting ready to welcome them back to the breakfast table. And if there’s one thing we heard loud and clear from school food professionals last year, it’s this: students have a lot to say about breakfast—and listening to them can make a big difference.
Throughout the 2025–26 school year, No Kid Hungry New York asked school districts across the state a “Breakfast Question of the Month.” We asked about everything from students’ favorite menu items to small changes that made a big difference in breakfast participation.
Their responses offered plenty of inspiration for the year ahead.
Start with foods students love
Sometimes, the best way to get students excited about breakfast is to serve foods they already know and love.
When we asked school food professionals which breakfast items students couldn’t get enough of, the answers included everything from French toast and chicken sausage to breakfast pizza, sausage, egg and cheese sandwiches, pancakes, muffins, bagels and more.
At one school, the “Huskie Sandwich”—a whole-grain English muffin with egg, sausage and American cheese—is a student favorite named after the school’s mascot.
Another school reported that homemade chocolate chip muffins are a hit, while another district shared that muffins are students’ top choice, with honey buns coming in a close second.
And several schools highlighted breakfast sandwiches as a reliable favorite, including sausage, egg and cheese sandwiches and egg patty sandwiches with turkey bacon or chicken sausage.
The takeaway? Student favorites can be a powerful tool for building excitement around school breakfast.
Sometimes, a small change can make a big difference
Making breakfast more accessible doesn’t always require a major overhaul. Several of our partners shared simple changes that helped bring more students to breakfast.
One school moved breakfast out of the cafeteria and into the halls with two grab-and-go carts. Another added a grab-and-go breakfast kiosk at the high school entrance—and began serving 100 breakfasts a day through the kiosk.
Other schools found success by simply offering popular items more frequently. One school started serving bagels more often, pairing them with scrambled eggs once a week to add protein.
These examples show that where, when and how breakfast is served can be just as important as what’s on the menu.
For schools looking to increase participation this year, consider whether breakfast is easy for students to access on their way into the building or between the many demands of a busy morning.
Make breakfast fun!
Our partners also reminded us that breakfast can be an opportunity to create excitement and community.
One school introduced a hot chocolate bar that quickly became extremely popular with students.
Another school uses a Smoothie Station as a special breakfast promotion at the beginning of the school year and again in the spring. With colorful smoothie flavors on display, the station catches students’ attention as they walk into school and encourages them to try something new.
The school food director who shared the idea told us that the smoothie station does more than offer a fun breakfast option—it can also help students get back into the routine of eating school breakfast after a school break.
Special promotions like these can give students something to look forward to while creating opportunities to showcase the variety of nutritious foods available through school breakfast.
Listen to students—and keep trying new things
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to school breakfast. What works in an elementary school may look different in a high school, and what gets students excited in one community may not work in another.
But our partners’ experiences point to a common thread: pay attention to what students respond to.
Ask students what they want to see on the menu. Notice which foods disappear first. Try serving breakfast in a new location. Experiment with a special promotion. Add grab-and-go carts to your program to make it easier for students to grab breakfast on their way to class.
And when something works, keep building on it.
Looking for ideas to try this school year?
Here are a few ideas inspired by our school food partners:
- Ask students: Get their input on favorite breakfast foods and new items they’d like to try.
- Bring breakfast to students: Consider grab-and-go carts, kiosks or other ways to make breakfast accessible outside the cafeteria.
- Feature student favorites: Build excitement by regularly offering popular menu items.
- Try something new: Smoothie stations, hot chocolate bars and other special promotions can create excitement around breakfast.
- Make it convenient: Think about where students enter the building and bring breakfast to them with grab-and-go carts. Consider how breakfast fits into students’ morning routines. For older students, offering second-chance breakfast later in the morning can help reach those who aren’t hungry at the start of the school day.
- Celebrate what works: When a new idea takes off, use that momentum to build your breakfast program. Expanding effective breakfast strategies to other grade levels or school buildings can help more students start their day ready to learn.
As another school year begins, we’re excited to see the creative ways New York’s school food professionals continue to make breakfast more accessible, appealing and welcoming for students.
Because sometimes, getting more students to breakfast starts with something as simple as asking: What do you want to eat?
