A school concession volunteer briefing is a 10- to 15-minute huddle before the stand opens. It covers who does which job, what is on today’s menu and what each item costs, how customers pay, basic food safety and allergen answers, who to call when something goes wrong, and how the shift ends. Run it the same way at every event, and hand volunteers a one-page sheet they can keep at the counter.
This guide is for booster club leaders, concession managers and activities staff who rely on parent and student volunteers for games, tournaments and performances. Many volunteers work the stand only a few times a season, so a short, consistent school concession volunteer briefing does more than a long training session they will forget. It does not cover whether to go cashless or how to choose a point-of-sale system.
Before the school concession volunteer briefing: prepare a one-page shift sheet
Write the briefing down once and reuse it. A single page taped inside the stand answers most of the questions volunteers would otherwise ask the one experienced person on shift. Include:
- Today’s event: the event name, start time, and the time the stand opens and closes.
- Roles: each volunteer’s name and job for the shift.
- The approved menu and prices: exactly what is being sold today, including anything that is sold out or new.
- Contacts: the shift lead, the event administrator on site, and how to reach them.
- Closing steps: what has to happen before anyone leaves.
Print the sheet in a large, plain font with dark text on a light background. Stands are often dim, busy and loud, and a sheet that is easy to read at a glance gets used.
1. Assign clear roles for the school concession volunteer briefing
Start by telling each person what they own. Confusion about roles is a common cause of slow lines, because two people take the same order while nobody restocks cups. Typical roles at a school stand include:
- Order taker: greets customers, takes orders and handles payment.
- Food prep and handoff: prepares items and calls out completed orders.
- Runner and restocker: refills drinks, condiments and supplies, and watches stock levels.
- Shift lead: answers questions, makes judgment calls and contacts the administrator when needed.
At a small event one person may hold two roles. Say that out loud so nobody assumes someone else is covering it. If students are volunteering, confirm the adult supervision your school or booster policy requires.
2. Walk through today’s menu and prices
Read the menu aloud, item by item, with prices. Point out anything that differs from the last event: a new item, a price change, a combo or anything already low. Volunteers who know the menu answer faster and make fewer mistakes at the register.
Only sell what is on the approved menu at the approved price. If a volunteer wants to add a special or discount, it goes through the shift lead first. If your stand shows a menu board or hallway screen, check that it matches today’s prices before the doors open.
3. Explain how customers pay and how orders flow
Show volunteers the exact steps for taking an order and accepting payment on the devices you are using today. Have each order taker run through a sample order with the shift lead watching, using whatever test or practice method your system provides.
Cover the questions customers ask most often:
- Which payment methods the stand accepts today.
- What to do if a card is declined or a payment does not go through.
- How families who ordered ahead pick up their food, if you offer ordering ahead.
- How completed orders are called out or handed off so the line keeps moving.
Decide in advance who handles a payment problem the order taker cannot solve. Usually that is the shift lead, so the order taker can keep serving the next customer.
4. Cover food safety basics and allergen questions
A school concession volunteer briefing only needs a few clear food safety rules, not a full course. Your local health department and district set the requirements for your stand, so follow their guidance and any permit conditions first. FoodSafety.gov’s four steps to food safety is a useful plain-language reference for the basics:
- Wash hands before handling food and after handling money, trash or raw food.
- Keep raw and ready-to-eat food apart, with separate utensils.
- Keep hot food hot and cold food cold. FoodSafety.gov describes 40°F to 140°F as the temperature range where bacteria grow fastest.
- Anyone who feels sick should not work with food that day.
Allergen questions need a firm, simple rule: volunteers should never guess. The FDA’s food allergy overview lists nine major food allergens in the United States: milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans and sesame. Keep product packaging or ingredient labels for packaged items where volunteers can find them. If a customer asks about an ingredient and the label does not answer it clearly, the volunteer should say they are not sure and get the shift lead.
Make sure everyone knows how to reach event medical staff or the administrator if a customer appears to be having an allergic reaction or other emergency.
5. Agree on who to call when something goes wrong
Most stand problems are small, but volunteers need to know who decides. Name one shift lead and one on-site administrator, and write how to reach both on the shift sheet. Walk through a few likely situations:
- A device or payment method stops working.
- An item runs out or a delivery is late.
- A customer disputes an order or asks for a refund.
- A spill, burn or other safety issue inside the stand.
- An upset customer, or a crowd problem near the counter.
The rule for volunteers is simple: if it involves money, safety or an angry customer, bring in the shift lead.
6. Plan breaks, rushes and handoffs between shifts
Tell volunteers when the busiest periods are likely to be, such as before kickoff, at halftime or during an intermission, and ask everyone to stay at the stand during them. Schedule breaks for the quieter stretches.
If a second shift takes over partway through the event, give the incoming group a two-minute handoff: what is running low, any open problems, and any menu or price changes made during the event. Write changes on the shift sheet so the next group does not have to rely on memory.
7. Explain how the shift closes
Closing is where small details get lost when everyone is tired. During the school concession volunteer briefing, agree on the closing steps:
- Stop taking orders at the agreed time and finish orders already placed.
- Count leftover stock and note anything that ran out early.
- Clean and store equipment the way your facility requires.
- Hand devices, any cash and keys to the designated person.
- Write down problems and suggestions for the next event.
Let volunteers leave only after the shift lead has checked the list. A five-minute closeout makes the next event much easier to run.
8. Thank volunteers and collect quick feedback
End with a short thank-you and one question: what slowed you down today? Volunteers often notice a confusing menu item, a slow handoff or a missing supply that leaders do not see. Add their answers to your notes and update the shift sheet before the next event.
Quick checklist for your next school concession volunteer briefing
- Every volunteer knows their role and who the shift lead is.
- The menu and prices have been read aloud and match any posted menu.
- Order takers have practiced a sample order and know what to do when a payment fails.
- Food safety basics and the allergen rule have been covered.
- Everyone knows how to reach the shift lead, the administrator and medical help.
- Rush times, breaks and shift handoffs are planned.
- Closing steps are agreed, and someone owns the final check.
Where Campus Wide fits
Campus Wide Concession Sales for schools lets you add each stand with its menu items and prices in one dashboard, accept credit cards, Apple Pay and Google Pay, and move orders through an order queue. Every sale is recorded as it happens, so you can see revenue and inventory during the event and review it afterward. Families can also order concessions ahead online. A consistent school concession volunteer briefing helps people use that setup confidently on a busy night.
If you sell tickets or promote the menu on hallway screens, Event Ticketing and Digital Signage work in the same Campus Wide dashboard. For gate preparation, see our school event ticket launch checklist, and for the bigger picture read why schools go cashless at sporting events.
Getting ready for your next game or tournament? Ask the Campus Wide team for a free demo and bring your current menu and stand setup.
Sources and further reading
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Food Allergies, What You Need to Know, listing the nine major food allergens and the symptoms of allergic reactions.
- FoodSafety.gov: 4 Steps to Food Safety, covering clean, separate, cook and chill (last reviewed September 18, 2023).