Just the FAQs
Your Questions Answered
What is Lunch Solutions?
Lunch Solutions is a woman-owned business that works with schools and parent organizations to deliver fresh food from local restaurants at lunchtime for students, teachers, and staff.
Where does the food come from?
We offer a variety of healthy and delicious meals from more than 20 local restaurants and national chains. Through our years of service, we’ve established strong relationships with restaurants and, in many cases, have helped them establish their school lunch business. All of our vendors are committed to quality, quantity, and service to schools’ needs.
How do you ensure food is fresh and hot/cold?
We know most schools do not have space for all students to eat at one time. Instead, lunches are scheduled in shifts, and our food is delivered accordingly, arriving no more than 20 minutes before lunchtime. That ensures hot food is hot and cold food is cold.
How do you decide on menus?
Thanks to many years of facilitating school lunch programs, we have the data on the most popular items for various age groups. We also welcome input from school leaders to create a balanced menu, and we work hard to offer variety from week to week.
Can I order gluten-free, vegetarian, and allergy-safe food?
We always offer gluten-free and vegetarian items, and all of our food is nut-free. We work with families to make sure meals are allergy-safe and everyone is excited when lunch is delivered.
How and when do families place their orders?
Your families will place their order on a Lunch Solutions website that is customized for your school. You decide if orders will be placed weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or for one semester at a time. If you choose weekly orders, all orders must be in by Thursday at 10am for lunch the following week. Our downloadable calendar helps parents keep track of when lunch is served.
How do I know all orders will be accurate?
All orders are placed online, reducing human error and generating detailed reports that keep our entire team on the same page. Vendors have access to the ordering website where they can see the serving date, orders, and delivery times. (They say that’s where the accuracy starts.) We also supply vendors with large, color-coded labels that list the child's name and item ordered. Robin personally checks the labels for accuracy before they are delivered to restaurants and attached to each meal. Serving coordinators for each lunch also check the labels upon delivery. This system eliminates mistakes and ensures no child’s meal is left out.
What happens if a family wants to change an order?
Lunch Solutions will work with all families on changes, additions, and late orders. We make every attempt to make adjustments within reason.
How do you handle schedule changes during school days?
We know school schedules shift due to standardized testing, assemblies, and snow days. We work directly with administrators to change delivery days and times when needed.
How do families pay for lunch?
Most people pay by credit card but other forms of payment are available.
Who handles the payments?
You have options. Lunch Solutions can manage the financial transactions for your program or your organization can collect all funds from families. If you take on the finances, Lunch Solutions will still monitor payments to ensure fees are fully covered.
Do we have to pay sales taxes?
Illinois tax laws require PTOs/PTAs to charge and file sales tax. Your Lunch Solutions website provides a report to make your filing easier.
How does Lunch Solutions get paid?
Lunch Solutions charges a minimal amount per lunch. The fee varies depending on the amount of service you need. For example, if you provide volunteers to serve food, then you pay a lower fee. We typically meet in person to work out these details to ensure all involved parties are comfortable with the agreement. On the 30th of each month, Lunch Solutions will send an invoice or a check with your payout.
Who serves the lunches?
All Lunch Solutions coordinators are vetted, trained, and experienced in Hot Lunch/Special Lunch programs. Many are former school lunch program committee members or PTO/A executive board members and understand the importance of the program. They all wear name tags which helps the children get to know them. Robin also visits each school often to ensure we are keeping the families and school staff happy. All specific school rules are strictly followed for outside servers.
Can we use volunteers?
Absolutely! Recruiting volunteers keeps your costs down, and our system makes it easy for anyone to show up and lend a hand. All items are clearly labeled, and we provide materials so you can organize meals alphabetically, making it easy for students/staff to find their food quickly. Depending on the grade level of the children you are serving, you may only need two volunteers. We will work with you on a plan that runs best for your program.
What is the main difference between Lunch Solutions and other companies?
• Fundraising: We guarantee that your school always receives more in fundraising than what you pay Lunch Solutions. No other lunch management company does that. • Accuracy & Accountability: Lunch Solutions is completely transparent. Presidents and treasurers of organizations receive full access to the ordering website. They see up-to-date orders, how much money the lunch program is raising, and how much vendors are charging for each item. They also decide the markup for fundraising efforts. • Supporting our Local Community: We offer menus from more local restaurants than other companies, and we employ military moms. We do what we can to take care of our community!
How soon will someone answer my questions?
All emails or calls are answered quickly and courteously. We respond to most inquiries within the same day, even weekends! Your school will also have a dedicated email address for your families which makes the communication faster.
Will Lunch Solutions work with financial aid families?
Yes. We work with schools to protect the identity of children who are on financial aid and receiving meals through the school lunch program.
How quickly and easily can we get started with Lunch Solutions?
It's a snap! Your program can be up and running within two weeks, if needed. Robin organizes everything and helps families with every step. You only need to provide minimal information: teachers' names and lunch times. We take care of the rest! That's one of the many benefits of working with an experienced company with exceptional relationships with vendors.