The Tuck Shop

Fair to middlin'

I'd give you a better answer if I had any idea whatsoever about what you are talking about.

nutraxfornerves said on #1: I'd give you a better answer if I had any idea whatsoever about what you are talking about.

I think the OP is talking about [tuck shops|en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuck_shop]. This is the web of a place in New York that claims to be a Tuck Shop. I've never been in a Tuck Shop so I can't comment about them.

A shop in a school - although at my school they didn't sell any cooked food just confectionery and snacks.

A shop in a school? How did that work? The only thing I am familiar with is the school cafeteria, where you could buy the meal of the day or some a la carte stuff.

Is some private enterprise allowed to operate a store on or near school grounds? And students are allowed to leave the school to buy stuff?

In my case in England, it was in the school. In schools in HK its private enterprise running a shop on school premises, selling food approved by the school at prices approved by the school.

For the ole Briddish/and Anglo Asian ex-empire generation that read "Beano" and "Dandy" cartoon comics and mags the term tuck shops in schools is a trip down memory lane.
Yes,they are private enterprise food outlets in schools contracted out to the public,adapted to local native cuisene.

I knew the name but didn't know what it referred to. No such thing when I was at school.

Perhaps the current US equivalent is vending machines?

Nah,not just vending machines but more prepared and relatively inexpensive food/dishes/drinks/desserts sold and served by caterers and their employees and sometimes subsidised by some state agencies or school admin.

Wasn't there some fuss about companies like Coca Cola or manufacturers of junky snack foods being able to install vending machines in schools in return for, for example, subsidizing uniforms for the school band or sports teams?