LOGISTICS & FAQs

ORDERING:

Every semester, The Lunch Mom (TLM Catering) provides a menu and an order form to parents online. Parents have the option of choosing lunch any number of days/week they wish (depending on the school’s hot lunch offerings).

Unlike some hot lunch programs, all children have the SAME lunch every day. This helps ensure that each participating child has the opportunity to try new, healthy foods.

Gluten-free, vegetarian, dairy-free, and egg-free options are available upon request (GF is an extra $1 per meal). There is no pork or shellfish used in the preparation of any foods served by TLM Catering.  All lunches are prepared in our nut and seed free kitchen.

FOOD DELIVERY:

Depending on the logistics at your child’s school regarding where and how lunchtime will work, we will be offering a full buffet, a container service and a blended option.  The option will be chosen by your school’s principal.

Lunches will be ordered online in three or four semesters.  The semesters are Fall (September to December, or split into Sept – Oct and Nov-Dec for 5 day schools), Winter (January to March) and Spring (April to June).

SOME DETAILS REGARDING FOOD PREPARATION:

All ground meat is first roasted and drained of all fat.
Only extra lean beef is used (tacos, meatballs, etc).
Tomato sauce and stocks are all homemade, and include a variety of “hidden” pureed vegetables.
All food is trans-fat free.
All food items are seed and nut-free.
All dishes are prepared using low sodium and low sugar recipes.

WHAT IF MY CHILD DOESN’T LIKE HOT LUNCH AFTER SIGNING UP?

Don’t worry! With a super picky child of my own, I totally understand! If your child tries hot lunch and hates it, just contact me and we will work out a refund. Though we hope you will be happily surprised at the things your child may eat when his/her classmates are eating the same meal!

ONE OFF LUNCH CANCELLATIONS:

Kids get sick and things come up like all day field trips.  If you let us know your child will miss lunch before 7am the day of, we can cancel and credit your lunch for use as a credit next term.  To a maximum of 2 credits per term.  To use your credit the next term, please write “USING CREDIT” on your order, and choose the e-transfer option at check out. I will manually calculate the amount you need to send in and let you know.  If we do not hear directly from you before 7am, we will be sending a lunch that day.  Please understand that with hundreds of classrooms, and 5000 plus meals per week, we cannot track the field trip, track meet, or chess tournament schedules for each student.

Your child’s teacher or the school is NOT responsible for cancelling a student’s lunch.  We will only take instruction from the parent/guardian.  This avoids things like field trips getting cancelled and students expecting lunches not receiving them.  If you cancel lunch, please do not expect a lunch to be there that day, regardless of trip cancellations.

For longer term cancellations (due to extended illness – over a week) and extended vacations, please email.