Schools
Fair Haven School Lunch Programs Boost Business for Local Shops
While some local shops are thriving from school lunch programs, others are suffering from the loss of theirs.
As students of Rumson and Fair Haven start their first month of school, the same nagging question will be on every parent's mind: What am I going to make for lunch?
A few businesses in Fair Haven may have the answer to that question as they provide lunches to local schools. Unfortunately, for the local businesses in Rumson, their lunch programs were cut short a few years ago when a corporate lunch program moved in.
, and are some local businesses that offer lunch programs to students in Fair Haven. Parents can call and order lunch for their student, and the business will deliver the lunch to the appropriate school at lunchtime.
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"Parents love it because it's something the kids will eat, its healthy and we always deliver lunch hot - or cold depending on the order," said Patti Balderas, owner of Tavolo Pronto.
offers specific lunch packages for parents to choose from. All packages are moderately priced. Some of the options include bagels, pizza, pasta or sandwiches. All these items come with a beverage, a cookie and a small bag of chips.
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"Parents can choose to have us deliver lunch once a week or everyday," Balderas said. "The food is healthy and the kids love it."
also offers a school lunch program. Any customer with a house account can call in and order lunch for the day. Fair Winds then delivers that lunch to the school during the students lunch period. While Fair Winds doesn't have a specific school lunch menu like Tavolo Pronto, anything on their menu is fair game.
Years ago, local businesses in Rumson also offered lunch programs. Places like , and Atlantic Bagel all offered lunch programs similar to those currently in Fair Haven.
According to Ross DiMiceli, owner of in Rumson, a corporate lunch service called Chartwells took over in the Rumson school district.
"We used to deliver lunch to the schools and it was great for business," said DiMiceli. "Now Chartwells moved in and got exclusive rights to the school lunches and were all struggling because of it."
"When large corporations like Chartwells moves in, it directly affects the little guys," DiMiceli said.
