End to school lunch deliveries leaves bad taste in Ridgewood
THURSDAY JANUARY 16, 2014, 3:23 PM
BY LAURA HERZOG
STAFF WRITER
THE RIDGEWOOD NEWS
A non-compete clause in the Ridgewood school district’s contract with its food-service provider took the spotlight at Monday’s Board of Education (BOE) meeting, where several parents and business owners voiced disapproval with the superintendent’s recent decision to discontinue outside vendor lunch deliveries.
Superintendent Daniel Fishbein’s letter to parents about last week’s decision listed concerns about delivery people who are strangers, illegal parking and administrative time spent sorting out the lunches, but the non-compete clause was not mentioned in the letter. Several residents and local business owners brought up the non-compete clause on Monday.
Fishbein said after the meeting that though Pomptonian Food Services had not yet contacted him about the contractual issue, he was personally concerned about the breach of contract.
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You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time. Nice try by the school district and Pomptonian at trying to pool the wool over our eyes on this one.
There is no reason to have the office staff sort through lunch deliveries for lazy parents. Pack the kids a lunch or let them buy from Pomptonian.
Total agreement with #2 lazy parents whose little babies cannot make lunch to bring to school.
I’m with #2 and #3 above; pack your kids lunch the night before and get over it. Better yet, have them make it themselves! I am a working mom and we’ve been making lunches every night for the last 15 years that my kids have attended RHS. They, too, do not like the food and refuse to buy. Take 5 minutes over the weekend to pick up lunch meats and bread. If the kids want Parkwood, pick it up the night before and pack it up. The school office staff have no business sorting through lunches, dealing with lunch orders that are incorrect, not delivered or stolen. If the vendors can come up with an unobtrusive, workable plan that does not draw down school resources or conflict with contracts, even better.
I also think that the families should figure out their own healthy lunches. Don’t they feed their kids healthy food at every meal? Sometimes I think that parents hold others to higher standards than they have at home. PB&J is a good lunch, I think that I ate it for 12 years.
I also think that the school should press the food service to offer healthier – and appetizing – selections. I am sure that there are competitors who would love to have the contract.
Why are these posters so in favor of regulating what should be a free market? Whether lunch is from home, a local business, or purchased at school – it is MY CHOICE. Yes, I have the time and desire to make lunches at home. But when my kids ask for something different, or its my suggestion to patronize a local business – why do you care? My kids tell me their friends still won’t buy in school because the food is terrible. So now I will pick up the lunches on my way to work and drop them off at the schools. Nothing will change – because that is my choice. Kudos to the entrepreneurs and I hope they find a solution. The private sector usually does. .. . . ..
Free market does not exist on Ridgewood Public School property. You are free to start a business but your delivery and distribution system can’t be on school property.
Under your “free market” we could have a flea market on campus. Cell phone companies, office supply and anyone else who wants to sell to the kids. Maybe a city food truck selling hot dogs could pull up and park.
My point was “why do you care” how I feed my children? Perhaps “free market” was a poor choice of words -I was primarily referring to letting my children and I do what we want regarding lunch – not the distribution process. The posts appear to be attacking the parents for choosing an occasional lunch from outside rather than brown bag or purchase in school. Again – so long as my children are fed and healthy – why do you care?
Pomptonian food service is run by knuckleheads a friend of mine woked for a neighboring school district which was taken over by pomptonian she witnessed firsthand hamburgers being taken off rolls from the day before and put on fresh rolls and served it’s all about them making money they don’t care about the quality of your kids food also pizza that was served in the grammar school was reheated the next day and served to the kids in high school
#8. I don’t care what you feed your kids. They can have a bag of Oreos for lunch for all I care. The distribution at the schools is an unnecessary burden and possibly an insurance issue. School property is not yours to use as a distribution center for your favorite deli.
Why can’t you suck it up and go to West Side Bagels or Parkwood in the AM? I think that they are open and you will be free to feed your kids the healthy deli food that you crave. Next you will be wanting your dry cleaning there for the convenience.
I think that the food delivery is another “look at me” Ridgewood issue. I am so special that I have my lunch ordered in from a local caterer. Aren’t I special?
#10 you are clearly ignorant and really, really bored. Why do you think you know anything about the lives of the parents with kids in school??