FAQ’s Patricia’s Lunchbox
Enrollment/Accounting
My student is at one of your schools. How do I enroll?
You have two options. Go to www.patriciaslunchbox.com and click on “enrollment” and then select your school. You will be taken to the current menu which consists of a four-week rotation of popular menus: then you may opt to download the enrollment form, mail it in along with a a check to us, or enroll securely online and pay by credit card.
Can I enroll part way through the semester?
Yes, but only online. There will be no paper/check enrollment after the enrollment period ends. Enrollment will be pro-rated.
Why can’t I sign my student up for random days of the month?
In order to keep the price of lunches low, we need to limit the amount of accounting we have to keep. Our ingredients are natural, local or organic which makes them more expensive. By requiring daily or semester commitment, we can keep our accounting costs down and keep lunches affordable.
Once my student is enrolled, how will the cafeteria know that she is eating?
Your student will be issued a lunch card which will be kept in the cafeteria.
Do I get a refund if my student is out for the day?
Regardless of whether or not your student is at school, the cafeteria cooks have ordered food for her and will be preparing it that day. There are no refunds. However, you are welcome to come during lunch and take your student’s food home.
Do I get a refund if my student no longer attends the school?
Yes: contact the office.
If my student is signed up for lunch, what if he is scheduled for a field trip?
With 48 hours’ notice, Patricia’s Lunchbox will provide students with sack lunches. The student’s teachers are responsible for notifying the cafeteria in advance.
Our Lunches
How do you decide on your menus?
Our meals are nutritionally balanced and designed to appeal to children. We request feedback from our kitchen managers so that we can keep menus that are popular and revisit menus that are less appealing. We work with the University of Texas Department of Human Ecology nutrition interns to ensure that our lunches exceed FDA nutrition standards. Our high school menus are more varied and sophisticated to encourage teens to explore their palates and to be open to new flavors.
My student has food allergies. Can he eat?
Yes. When enrolling, please indicate that your student has dietary restrictions. The onsite kitchen manager will contact you to discuss your student’s needs.
My student is a vegetarian. Can she eat?
Yes. When enrolling, please indicate that your student has dietary restrictions. The onsite kitchen manager will contact you to discuss your student’s needs.
My student is a big eater. How do I know he will get enough to eat at lunch?
On the enrollment form, look for the “Extra Protein” option. We understand that some students need more to eat than others. Our regular portion sizes exceed federal guidelines and have been checked for balance by licensed nutritionists. If your student needs more, we suggest that you sign up for Extra Protein. Also, we encourage all our students to eat everything on their plate: that includes the fruits and vegetables which contribute not only to their health, but also to their feeling full after lunch without feeling sleepy or sluggish.
Can my student have seconds?
Yes on fruits and vegetables.
Why don’t you serve French fries?
Patricia’s Lunchbox doesn’t fry any of their foods. Fried food is one of the culprits in the obesity crisis.
My student doesn’t like fruits and vegetables. Can she just get the meat and starch?
We will serve your student a full plate of food, including vegetables and fruit. We encourage all our students to try everything on their plate: that includes the fruits and vegetables which contribute not only to their good health, but also to their feeling satisfied after lunch without feeling sleepy or sluggish.
My student loved things on last year’s menu that are not on this year’s. Why do you change menus?
We track popular menus throughout the year and note which days of the week are most popular during enrollment. Days with fewer enrollments are revisited and the menus changed in order to appeal to more students.
My student can’t have food dyes or partially hydrogenated oils in her food. Can she eat lunch?
We have eliminated all unhealthy ingredients from the foods we prepare and purchase ready made (such as snacks which are sold at the high schools). For more information about the list of eliminated ingredients, click here.
Why are your menus so varied? My student would prefer to eat fresh pizza or burgers every day.
We encourage students to explore the wonderful diversity of foods through our lunch program. We introduce foods that are popular in familiar cultures in the hope that our students are open to flavors and quality of food that is not available in our fast food culture.
You serve burgers and pizza. How are yours different from everyone else’s?
Our ingredients are carefully sourced from comparatively small vendors. For example, pizza crusts in the lower schools are 50% whole wheat from Sweetish Hill and made fresh the day before service. Our whole wheat burger buns are baked fresh for us by Sweetish Hill. Our burgers are natural beef from a Texas company. We don’t load our pizzas with cheese or top our burgers with bleached lettuce. We even make our own pizza sauce and bump up its nutritional value by added pureed veggies that taste great but are undetectable!
Other
Why are you not in public schools?
Public school lunches are federally funded. We cannot work within public school systems at this time.
How can I apply for a job with Patricia’s Lunchbox?
We are looking for self motivated, trained culinarians (either school or with extensive work experience in a kitchen, who love children.)
