FAQs about School Canteens & Catering
01
My child is sick and not attending school but has an online order for today. Can I cancel the order? If you notify us prior to 8am daily we can cancel your order. If after 8am we can move your order to another day of your choice. Refunds must be communicated on the day the order is place for. Refund requests after this time are subject to approval. Text the school name, student name and year group to 0416 217 716 alternatively email schools@vanillablue.com.au;
02
How long will refunds take to be visible in my account? If we do require to arrange a refund to your account we will contact flexi to authorise this credit. Note credits can take up to 48 hours to show in your account.
03
I have missed the cut-off time. Can I still place a lunch order? Yes some of our school canteens have a late lunch service with key menu items available to order until 9.30am daily via Flexischools app. If you school does not have a late lunch service operational you are welcome to contact the canteen directly via email or email schools@vanillablue.com.au. We will ask you to place the order for a future day and we will move it to today for ease of payment.
04
Do your school Canteens cater for special dietary requirements? All our canteen offers a wide variety of specialty diet menu items on our everyday lunch menu. These include dairy free, vegan, vegetarian and gluten free. While we take the upmost care to accommodate students dietary requirements these items are produced in an environment where these allergens are present and traces may remain. FOOD ALLERGIES – PLEASE BE AWARE Vanilla Blue can offer a wide variety of specialty diet menu items. These include dairy free, vegan, vegetarian, gluten free and pork free. While we take the upmost care to accommodate dietary requirements there will be traces of allergens found within our catering or school meals. In the event you or your child has a life-threatening anaphylaxis inducing allergy, we highly recommend you cater their own meal. Any instances where you or your child suffers loss or illness resulting from nuts or traces of allergens found in our catering, Vanilla Blue will not be held liable.
05
I am new to using the Flexischools online ordering platform can you help with general information to get me started?
New School Canteen Opportunities FAQ’s
We are looking at ways in which we can improve the canteen offering at the school.
01
Can you provide a current menu and advise how your canteen service works? Yes we are always happy to share our current menu and details about how our various canteen services but so we can tailor our response to suit your school needs please respond to the following questions via email: Lain@vanillablue.com.au 1. Number of students and staff 2. Current online ordering platform for lunches (ie - Flexischools) 3. Days of the week you are looking to outsource 4. Outline how the canteen is currently operated - days, staffing, menu and revenue 5. Current canteen equipment (pictures would be good - ovens / fridges / pie cabinets etc)
02
Do you provide catering for school events as well an onsite canteen service? Yes we have a centralised kitchen at Artarmon that caters for events 50pax and above. We also have an events team which can assist with school dinners, presentations and parent functions. For catering opportunities below 50pax our onsite canteen team are able to create catering platters, meal boxes or before/after school snacks. We can also provide a range of beverages and a barista quality coffee experience.
03
Are your team members paid employees or parent volunteers? Our Canteen Teams consist of only paid employees. Each Canteen has a manager and chef on site everyday who are supported by a team of canteen assistants FOH and BOH. If a team member is away we have a pool of support team members who are cross trained in all areas of our canteen operation and assist to fill rosters gaps when they occur. Each canteen as a Food Safety Supervisor and all our canteen employees have a Food Handlers Certificate, NSW Working with Children Check and NSW Police Check. We also have an Canteen School Driver who works hard weekdays to service all our school canteen needs.
General FAQ’s
01
We are a supplier with a suitable product for the school canteen market, can we send you a sample of our range for your review? Yes we are always looking to revolutionise our canteen menu will new trends, healthy options and/or sharper priced products. Please email Lain@vanillablue.com.au to arrange time and location for samples or to arrange a suitable meeting time.
02
Are you hiring at any of your canteens at the moment? We are always searching for passionate hospitality team members who like the buzz of the busy school world. Please submit your cover letter highlighting your employment goals and please attach your relevant resume for our review. Email Lain@vanillablue.com.au with your expression of interest in joining our canteen team.