Del Mar school district goes to online lunch ordering

By Karen Billing

Starting in the fall, parents in the Del Mar Union School District will be able to order their children’s lunches online. The board gave direction May 23 to go forward with implementing Choicelunch’s online system.

The Choicelunch web site can manage online ordering and even has a school lunch transactional iPhone app. Lunch orders may be placed by 9 a.m. and cancelled by 5 p.m. the previous school day. Under online ordering, the menu selection would expand to four hot entrees and 13 cold entrees with a choice of snack, fruit and drink.

The cost will increase to $5.25, but there will still be cold lunches for a lower price in the $4 range.

Currently, the district is averaging 789 meals a day and staff is confident that the new ordering system will boost sales even more. Parents were pre-paying this year and had to order a week in advance and many asked for online ordering options.

“I enjoy Choicelunch and am a regular customer,” said parent Lola Walker. “Online ordering will be very convenient for parents and increase participation. And online, children can see pictures of the food and they will get really excited about it.”