The beginning of the school year has been quite a whirlwind for those of us in food service! Many in our industry are struggling with staffing shortages and supply chain disruptions which has led to school menu substitutions. Be aware that changes in what food is available will cause quick substitutions to the school menu.
Thriving Amid Nationwide Disruptions
Even with all of these disruptions, many food service teams are back to full production. In fact, we are very pleased to announce that we are feeding more students this year than ever before. When it was announced that all students would be able to receive free breakfast and lunches again this year, we eagerly anticipated the return of our students to brick and mortar learning and back into our school cafeterias.
In response, we have been busy preparing meals and staying on top of the supply chain disruptions that have affected food service operations nationwide. Our suppliers continue to have problems with vendor deliveries and transportation as well as employee absenteeism. This has caused our kitchen staff to learn to pivot again and again.
School Menu Substitutions are Unfortunately Happening
We have always believed in transparency and communication with the parents. With that, unfortunately, school menu substitutions will likely be a reality for the foreseeable future. We have been trying to keep the items similar to what is already on the menu. For example, if the menu says chicken tenders, we may have to change it up to chicken nuggets or something chicken related. Nothing breaks our hearts more than if a student would come into the school cafeteria and not get the lunch item they were looking forward to all morning. And then have to tell them “Sorry we don’t have that.” Please know we are doing our best to try and keep that from happening.
The kitchen staff love feeding healthy, nutritious meals to your students and seeing the smiles on the faces from Kindergarteners to high school seniors. Know that even with all of the school menu substitutions, if you utilize online menus for allergens and carb counts, please feel free to reach out to the kitchen at your student’s school to make sure that the items on the menu are the same.
Food Is Our Love Language
Thank you so much for participating in our Food Service Programs. “Love is patient, love is kind”....here’s your reminder that food is our love language. We love your kids and we love to nourish them. Communicating with our community on how our programs continue to serve everyone is important to us. As a favor, we ask for your patience and kindness in supporting our dedicated teams as they work hard every single day to serve wholesome meals to fuel healthy lives!