Hot Lunch Ordering

Welcome to Hot Lunch! Our goal is to provide nourishing and delicious meals to help fuel our students throughout their day here at school.

Please visit the Hot Lunch page to place your child's order during the announced ordering cycles.

IMPORTANT NOTE: St. Elizabeth School is NOT a nut-free campus. For more information regarding our policies and how we work to keep all children safe, please click here.

Hot Lunch Program FAQs- Get your questions answered here! 

1. Overview
2. Ordering
3. Troubleshooting
4. Beverage Service
5. Forgotten Lunch
6. Volunteering
7. Other Great Questions

Overview

How does the hot lunch program work?

• St. Elizabeth School is pleased to offer a full-service hot lunch and beverage program. Participation is optional: Some students have hot lunch every day, some bring a bag lunch every day, but most do a combination. Others just order a daily beverage (water or milk).

Who prepares the food?

• The food is prepared and provided daily by a local business, Delphi’s Catering.

Ordering

How much does it cost?

• The cost for each lunch is $5.00. For each cycle, you also must also select and pay for a drink for an additional cost, which will be provided to your child every day throughout the cycle, regardless of whether s/he ordered hot lunch for that day.

When does ordering take place?

• Ordering cycles are open a few times a year and occur toward the middle of each season for the following one. Notices are posted in News and Events, informing parents of when ordering will take place, so it's important to keep a close eye on New and Events.

How do I know if my order went through?

• Some parents make the mistake of not completing the ordering process to the very end. Please make sure you hit "Checkout" (bottom right button) and you will receive an "Order Summary Page" with payment instructions.

How do I pay online for my order?

• Enter order for entire ordering cycle
• Select review order at bottom of last page
• Review order then select submit order at bottom of last page
• Scroll down the order summary page to view payment modes
• Select online payment option (Credit Card or E-Check)
• Follow steps to process payment
• Paying online by viewing the “My Orders” Tab when logged into your Hot Lunch Account:
• Log-in to your Hotlunch.com account
• Select the “My Orders” Tab
• View list of orders
• Select orders to pay by clicking on the box to the left of the order number (a check mark will appear in the box)
• Select “Pay by” Credit Card or E-Check in the drop down menu at the right side of the screen
• Click on the “Make Payment” button to the right of the “Pay by” box
• Follow steps to process payment

Is there a printable hot lunch calendar?

• Yes, each season, a handy lunch calendar is posted on the Hot Lunch Ordering Page. We suggest that you print it, circle the days you've signed up for and stick it on the fridge.

Troubleshooting

I made a mistake. Is there a way to change my order?

• If the ordering window is still open and your payment has not been processed, there is time to change your order. You may log in and modify or if you're having trouble, delete the order and place a new order.
• If you are having trouble, please send us an email and we will be more than happy to guide you.

I forgot to print out my order. Can I look it up?

• Yes, you can retrieve a copy of your order through Hot Lunch. Log in to the system and click on "My Orders" . You will see your child's name and an Order ID associated with it. Click on the number to see what has been ordered.
• If, after attempting to view your order, you still cannot retrieve it, contact us and we will send you a copy of your order.

What if my computer is down?

• If you are having computer troubles, you must find another PC to place your order. The library or a neighbor would be a good place to start. If all else fails, a PC at the school will be made available to you. We do not accept hardcopy orders or take orders by phone or email as we are a small group of volunteers managing a huge volume of orders.

Why can't I access the St E's Hotlunch site?

• On rare occasions, corporate firewalls, particularly at large organizations, prevent access to the Hot Lunch web page. If you were trying from work, therefore, we suggest you try again from home. Worst case, you could use a PC at the school.

I can't remember (or it's summer, so I don't yet know) my child's homeroom. May I still order?

• Because the orders are organized according to homeroom, it is essential that you enter the correct homeroom when you place an order. If you guess, but you guess wrong, you run the risk of your child's order filtering into a different class. His/her lunch card will also be misfiled, which will lead to further problems down the line. For the Fall cycle, please select the grade your child will be entering, as the homerooms will be announced by the administration after ordering begins. During the school year, the homeroom rosters can be found in Plus Portals.

Beverage Service

What beverages are offered?

• The beverage selections are white milk, chocolate milk, or bottled water. Unlike the food, the beverage service is for EVERY DAY of the season. Therefore, regardless of whether your child ordered hot lunch or has a bag lunch, the beverage is already taken care of – one less thing for you to worry about.

May I order milk for the whole year?

• If you want milk (or chocolate milk or bottled water) for the full school year, you need to order during each cycle, regardless of whether your child orders lunch.

Forgotton Lunch

What if my child forgets his/her lunch?

• When a lunch is forgotten, you have two options. You may drop off your child’s lunch at the front desk (tape on a note with name and homeroom), and it will be delivered to your child's class.
• If you cannot bring your child's lunch, two cereal bars will be provided by the Hot Lunch staff.

Volunteering

May parents help in the lunchroom?

• Absolutely! Our hot lunch program wouldn't work without the help of our wonderful parent volunteers. We have volunteers who help serve food, check students' lunch cards or just roam the cafeteria to assist the children as needed. You may sign up to work however many shifts you want – every day, once a week, once a month – whatever fits your schedule.
• Click HERE to volunteer!
• Please note: The Archdiocese of Washington requires that all volunteers be Virtus trained. 

What if I'm scheduled to work a lunch but can't make it?

• We understand that emergencies do arise, and there might be times when you can't work a shift. In cases such as this, we ask that you make every attempt to find a sub to fill your spot and not expect the Volunteers Coordinator to fill the gap.  If you cannot find a sub the day of your volunteer slot, please call the front desk at the school to let us know.

Where can I find the volunteers schedule?

• Information about the volunteers schedule can be found HERE.

I have a little one at home. May I bring him/her with me?

• If you signed up to serve food, then unfortunately no, since the food is served from hot chafing dishes and we don’t want your little one to potentially get hurt. 

Other Great Questions 

May I send in a lunch to be heated up?

• Unfortunately, neither the kitchen staff nor the volunteers are permitted to microwave food for the students. This is not only for liability reasons but also because we are busy serving the needs of close to 600 children. Some parents opt to send hot meals in a Thermos.

My child has a field trip on a hot-lunch day. What are my options?

• Your child's field trip permission slip should include instructions pertaining to lunch on that particular day. Sometimes field trippers return before lunch is served, in which case they receive hot lunch as planned.
• An exception to this process occurs when a field trip destination does not allow visitors to bring in their own lunches (the Air and Space Museum, for instance), and students must bring money to purchase a lunch at field trip site that day. Again, refer to your child's permission slip for more information.

May I get a refund for snow days or sick days?

• There is a strict no-refund policy for missed days due to absence, inclement weather, field trips or other reasons. On rare occasions, the school will make up days for lunches missed due to inclement weather. However, if you have a child who is absent, we do allow a sibling to receive his/her lunch instead.