By Tracy Morin
If you’re just entering the school-service game, you may wonder where—and how—to begin. Don’t let the prospect intimidate you; instead, think small. “Maybe offer a weekly pasta day or pizza day,” suggests Salvatore Reina, owner of Francesca’s Pizza & Pasta, with two locations in Glen Rock, New Jersey. “Keep the menu simple and affordable. Even something like a $5 pasta meal can be a great starting point.”
It works for Reina, whose school lunch program alone brings in more than $600,000 a year, as PMQ reported earlier this year. If you want to launch and maintain a winning school-lunch program (and find out how to expand it far beyond just school lunches), follow these steps from two operators who have nailed the process.
1. Find Your Market. The first step in school-lunch success: Determine where your services are needed. “Over time, we noticed that many schools in our area no longer have full kitchens or cafeterias,” Reina says. “They rely on third-party vendors to prepare and deliver meals daily. We saw an opportunity to help fill that need.”
Scott VanDuzer, owner of Big Apple Pizza in Fort Pierce, Florida, is a 43-year veteran in the pizzeria industry—and has been working the school-lunch market most of that time, serving a dozen schools at his peak. But he now has the most success with preschools, private schools and day cares. “Those smaller schools often don’t have kitchens or facilities where they can make food themselves, so they rely on outsourcing,” he explains. “That’s where you can really do well.”
Related: How Scott VanDuzer Turned His Slowest Night into a $4,000 Moneymaker in Partnership With Local Schools
2. Tailor Your Approach. For Reina, making connections within the school-lunch market started with his existing relationships in the community. “We’ve always tried to support local schools—whether it’s donating pizza for events, hosting field trips at the shop, or helping with school functions,” he explains. “When we decided to expand the school program, I reached out directly to contacts at schools through emails and texts. I also created a four-page pamphlet explaining the program and built a list of schools within about a 10-mile radius. Then I started reaching out to administrators and decision makers. Now, we’re serving 17 schools on a regular basis.”
Reina recommends sending emails, making calls or even stopping by in person. VanDuzer agrees that being proactive and reaching out is important. “I’d call and ask to speak with the principal or someone in administration and introduce myself: ‘This is Scott from Big Apple Pizza. I’m curious—who handles your lunch program? Do you do it in-house, or are you open to bidding it out?’” VanDuzer says. “Every school has a pizza day. Every Friday, I make about 200 pies before 11:30 for schools, which is a great way to start the day before the regular lunch rush. But you have to put the work in—knock on doors, make phone calls and search online for preschools, private schools and day cares in your area.”
VanDuzer also created a simple two-page pamphlet for schools. “You don’t want to overload people with information,” he says. “Just say who you are, how long you’ve been in the community and what you can offer.”
However, he adds, operators must be aware of timing. Schools make decisions about vendors months before the school year starts. Reina sends out his proposals to schools as early as April for the following school year. Know the rhythms of your local decision makers.
3. Grow With Demand. One benefit of school lunches is that you won’t need much to start—and you can grow as demand grows. “In the beginning, we were doing only about 30 to 35 orders per day, so the logistics were pretty simple,” Reina recalls. “Most pizzerias aren’t busy at 8 a.m., so we could start earlier and use the same kitchen space. The startup costs were minimal. We mainly invested in heat boxes to transport the food, and as we added more schools, we just bought more equipment.”
Staffing-wise, Reina first had a couple of employees arrive about 30 to 35 minutes earlier. “As we added more schools, we had to expand the schedule and bring in additional staff,” Reina says. “With 17 schools, the day might start as early as 6 a.m. instead of 10 a.m., but the business volume made it worthwhile.”
Reina also eventually hired drivers and dedicated delivery staff—but, because he already had the vehicles, adjustments were mainly about coordinating routes and timing. Deliveries usually happen mid-morning, around 10 or 10:30 a.m., which doesn’t interfere with peak restaurant hours.
4. Master the Menu. You’ll also need to think outside the (pizza) box when it comes to school menu creation. “It’s not just pizza,” VanDuzer says. “Schools don’t want the same thing every day, so you have to create menus with options. We’ve made mac and cheese, hot dogs, tacos—things that weren’t even on our regular menu. That means you’re buying extra ingredients that you normally wouldn’t stock. You also have to plan five different meal options for each week.”
The Francesca’s school-lunch program, branded as Francesca Lunch Box, even has its own website. Its menu, different from the regular pizzeria menu, includes kid-friendly items like hamburgers, teriyaki chicken with rice, grilled cheese and chicken nuggets.
In terms of equipment, maximize the possibilities of what you already own. “I have four Bakers Pride ovens, three fryers and stoves, so I already had the equipment to make a lot of things,” VanDuzer says. “If you’re creative, you can make a lot with what you already have. For example, we made grilled cheese by lowering the temperature on the pizza oven and cooking sheet pans of 20 sandwiches at a time. Sometimes it’s just about using what you have in a smarter way.”
5. Strike a Balance. If you’re a new entrant in the school-lunch game, VanDuzer is careful to warn: Schools can be very price-conscious. Make sure the deal is fair for you. “There’s a fine line between serving a good product and offering a price the schools want,” he says. “Some of them want it for next to nothing, but you have to protect your bottom line and your margins. It can be nice doing extra business during off times, but you have to be careful you’re not basically working for free.
“Schools often want meals for three to five dollars per kid,” VanDuzer continues. “But you have to consider packaging, labor and all of your other costs. A lot of people only think about food costs and forget everything else. And, remember, it’s a long commitment. School runs from August to May—roughly 36 weeks—so you’ll be doing that job for a long time. Make sure you’re happy with the numbers before you agree to it.”
Reina maintains a higher average price (about $8 to $8.50 per meal), but he focuses on value through incorporating fresh food—including fruit, vegetables and high-quality ingredients. “We try to keep costs manageable, and we also factor in delivery costs, transportation and staffing when setting our pricing,” Reina says.
With experience, Reina found ways to improve operations—and profits—over time. “One of our biggest lessons was simplifying the menu,” he says. “At first, we offered too many options—cookies, chips, vegetables, fruit—and it became difficult to track who ordered what. Now, we streamline the process. Students might choose their main meal, but the sides are standardized. That allows us to produce around 350 to 400 meals per day efficiently. We also constantly improved packaging and delivery—containers, organization and logistics—to make the process smoother. Every day, we’ve got to be learning. Every day, I make something better.”
6. Build Awareness. Don’t let your school lunch program end at school lunches—use them as a vehicle for acquiring more catering orders. “When you’re feeding hundreds of students every day, it has a ripple effect,” Reina says. “Students talk about the food, teachers try it, and families hear about it. We also do community events like DIY pizza nights and fundraisers with PTAs and HSAs (home and school associations). That helps strengthen relationships with schools and families. It’s bigger than just selling to schools. When students enjoy the meals, they tell their parents and families, and those families eventually come to the restaurant. Teachers also become customers. So the program builds long-term relationships within the community.”
“Relationships are everything,” VanDuzer agrees. “When I first started, I’d make the deliveries myself so I could meet the administrators and principals. That’s the key: The lunches are really the entry point. Once you’re there, you can ask about other opportunities. Do they need food for school parties, Christmas events or end-of-term celebrations? If you build those relationships, they’ll call you for other events throughout the year. Customer service is huge. If you can specialize in that and give people a different experience, you’ll do very well.”
Tracy Morin is PMQ’s associate editor.
