Lyons Township High's Lunch Participation 'Quite Low,' But Can Be Upped

LA GRANGE, IL – Participation in Lyons Township High School's lunch program is "quite low," but can be increased, says an executive for the school's incoming food provider.

On Monday, the school board approved Lombard-based Quest Food Management Services as the new cafeteria service, starting next school year.

It is replacing Sodexo, which has served the school since the 1990s.

Another company that submitted a proposal, Chicago-based OrganicLife, won the high school's student taste-testing competition earlier this year.

During the meeting, Nick Sacarro, Quest's president, said only a third of students who qualify for free lunches take part in the lunch program. Overall, about 35 to 40 percent of students do so, he said.

"Your per capita is quite low, and that, from my perspective, is not a good thing," Sacarro said.

He said he hadn't seen a number that low for a school not in the National School Lunch Program for a long time.

"We see that there is a tremendous opportunity to grow that number," Sacarro said.

In the New Trier and Glenbrook high school districts, which Quest serves, more than 85 percent of students are buying something every day, he said.

He said his company aims for 40 percent of lunch items to be plant-based.

"This is not super PC to say, but the more affluent schools and more diverse schools with certain populations tend to have more students who are more interested in plant-based options," Sacarro said. "I would anticipate that plant-based demand here would be relatively high."

Lyons Township High is one of the state's wealthier schools.

According to a school memo earlier this month, what put Quest over the top is its guarantee of a financial return of nearly $1.1 million to the school over five years. That is far higher than its competitors, the school said.

School board President Tim Albores said Quest's nutritional offerings were a major reason he supported the company. He praised the school's vetting of the three proposals – Quest, OrganicLife and Sodexo.

The board's vote was unanimous.

In a statement to Patch on Tuesday, Justin Rolls, OrganicLife's president, said his company would have loved to serve the high school. But he said he understood the $1 million was hard to pass up. He said he appreciated the school's consideration.

"Open and fair competition is the bedrock of the public K–12 procurement process and all we’ve ever asked for," Rolls said. "OrganicLife offered a strong, student-focused proposal backed by a significant financial commitment, and the district’s taste test showed students overwhelmingly preferred our program."

In a story last week, Patch wrote about OrganicLife's questions on the administration's recommendation to go with Quest.