IJOMAI Published Article

This study examined the operational management practices of public elementary and secondary school canteens in Rosario, La Union. It focused on canteen profile, planning, organizing, budgeting, controlling, operational challenges, and the relationship between profile variables and management practices. A quantitative descriptive-correlational design was used. Total enumeration was applied to include 19 public school canteens composed of 14 elementary and five secondary school canteens. Data were collected through a validated researcher-made questionnaire and analyzed using frequency, percentage, weighted mean, and Pearson correlation. Findings showed that most canteens were elementary based, had operated for one to three years, had one to two personnel, had working capital below Php10,000, and generated daily average sales of Php1,001 to Php3,000. Operational management practices were often implemented, with controlling receiving the highest mean and organizing receiving the lowest mean. Operational challenges were rarely encountered overall, although inadequate working capital, weak customer feedback mechanisms, and improper financial statement reconciliation were sometimes encountered. Correlation results showed no significant relationship between most profile variables and operational management practices. However, daily average operational expenses had a significant negative relationship with planning. The study recommends a practical action plan focused on working capital management, customer feedback, financial reconciliation, and operational risk planning to strengthen sustainable school canteen operations. Keywords: budgeting, controlling, operational management, planning, public school canteens