Developing a Decision-Making Model for Small-Scale School Foodservice Operations: A Multidimensional Evaluation Approach
10.14373/JKDA.2026.32.1.10
- Author:
Sieun PARK
1
;
Jindo JINDO
Author Information
1. The Graduate School of Educational Policy, Korea National University of Education, Cheongju 28173, Korea
- Publication Type:Original Article
- From:Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
2026;32(1):10-23
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
As the school-age population declines, decisions on how small-scale schools organize their foodservice operations have become an important administrative issue. In practice, these decisions still rely heavily on limited criteria such as enrollment size or cost efficiency, while the actual operational capacity of schools is often overlooked. As a result, a structural gap persists between policy decisions and on-site foodservice realities. This paper proposes a decision-making framework for more balanced judgments on whether small-scale schools should retain or change their foodservice operation type. Based on a systematic literature review, the evaluation indicators were refined through a Delphi survey of experts, and their relative importance was estimated using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). Consequently, 33 indicators were finalized across five domains: human resources, physical resources, finance and procurement, foodservice quality and satisfaction, and policy and education. The AHP results showed that human resources (0.3035) and physical resources (0.2235) were weighted more heavily than financial considerations. Applying the pareto principle, 16 core indicators accounting for approximately 70% of the total weight were selected and applied to case schools, clearly distinguishing schools with similar enrollment sizes but different operational conditions. In conclusion, school foodservice decisions should move beyond single-indicator judgments and instead be grounded in a multidimensional assessment of core operational capacity.
