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Nurturing Healthy Habits: How Ezlunch Inspires Financial Responsibility and Nutritious Choices

25 March, 2024

Here at ezlunch, we believe that feeding students isn't just about filling their bellies; it's about nourishing their minds and fostering healthy habits that will last a lifetime. That's why we're thrilled to share some interesting trends and feedback from our 2023 annual survey, highlighting what ezlunch does well.

 

The main recurring theme that stood out is the flexibility and convenience ezlunch provides in the busy lives of our caregivers. 

 

With our online ordering system available 24/7, ezlunch allows caregivers to effortlessly plan and manage their children's meals, saving precious time. And when those delicious, healthy meals are delivered directly to the school,  it's also supporting local cafes, caterers, and suppliers. It’s a win/win!

 

However, one interesting theme that stood out for us was that many caregivers said they appreciated the opportunity ezlunch provides to teach their kids about financial responsibility. These caregivers are allowing their children to put their pocket money towards lunch orders and ezlunch is empowering these students to make their own choices, to understand the concept of budgeting, and appreciate the value of their hard-earned money.

 

Picture this: Your child earns their pocket money, or you assign them a weekly lunch allowance, and they eagerly ask you to log into the family myKindo account to place their order for the week. As they select from the nutritious options available, they're not just making a meal choice; they're making a financial decision. They learn to weigh their options, consider the prices, and make responsible choices within their budget. It's a valuable lesson that extends far beyond the school lunch table.

 

This is such a great concept, and one we will be taking with us as we continue to develop and improve our service. 

 

We understand the importance of fuelling young minds for success. By providing nutritious meals that help kids thrive and engage in their learning, we're not just delivering food; we're nourishing the future generation. 

 

So, as we reflect on the feedback from our valued customers, we're reminded of the impact ezlunch has beyond just providing meals. We're nurturing financial literacy, supporting local communities, and empowering children to make healthy choices—all while making life a little easier for caregivers. 

 

It's a mission we're proud to pursue every day!

 

Lana – Marketing, Mum 

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PRESS RELEASE

04 September, 2023

Schools $55,000 better off offering lunches with school payments


In the common struggle for funding for those extra items such as more teacher aides and enticing learning programmes, NZ-based school payments system Kindo has come up with an innovative solution.

 

“We’ve found that schools requesting fees and donations on Kindo collect, on average, $55,000 more when they offer ezlunch (lunch delivery sales) on the platform too,” says Sandra Finlay, founder.

 

Finlay is convinced it’s to do with the 25% of school payments that are made in conjunction with school shop purchases… families are finding it easier to see what’s being requested and act while they’re on Kindo for other purchases.

 

According to Finlay, they’ve been hearing anecdotal evidence, but now the schools using both Kindo Payables (launched in 2019) and their ezlunch service are numerous meaning we have been able to analyse the data accurately. “We’re definitely hearing evidence of increased donations, reduced outstanding debts and money trickling in all the time where it never used to.”

 

Uptake of Kindo Payables has been rapid and schools are reporting positive impacts on both timing and volume of funding coming in, compared to use of other online school payment systems that don’t offer the ‘all-in-one’ shopping with school payments.

 

Ezlunch is highly effective as it’s often a drawcard for families to visit Kindo weekly. Schools also report using Kindo for trip permission forms, uniform, sports registrations and fundraisers can be effective at getting school payments made.

 

“It just makes sense. Giving busy families one place to transact with the school, that’s accessible, clear, and easy to use, and that they have reason to access often, is going to make an impact on school income.” And that, she says, is mission accomplished.

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Nurturing Healthy Habits: How Ezlunch Inspires Financial Responsibility and Nutritious Choices

Here at ezlunch, we believe that feeding students isn't just about filling their bellies; it's about nourishing their minds and fostering healthy habits that will last a lifetime. That's why we're thrilled to share some interesting trends and feedback from our 2023 annual survey, highlighting what ezlunch does well.

 

The main recurring theme that stood out is the flexibility and convenience ezlunch provides in the busy lives of our caregivers. 

 

With our online ordering system available 24/7, ezlunch allows caregivers to effortlessly plan and manage their children's meals, saving precious time. And when those delicious, healthy meals are delivered directly to the school,  it's also supporting local cafes, caterers, and suppliers. It’s a win/win!

 

However, one interesting theme that stood out for us was that many caregivers said they appreciated the opportunity ezlunch provides to teach their kids about financial responsibility. These caregivers are allowing their children to put their pocket money towards lunch orders and ezlunch is empowering these students to make their own choices, to understand the concept of budgeting, and appreciate the value of their hard-earned money.

 

Picture this: Your child earns their pocket money, or you assign them a weekly lunch allowance, and they eagerly ask you to log into the family myKindo account to place their order for the week. As they select from the nutritious options available, they're not just making a meal choice; they're making a financial decision. They learn to weigh their options, consider the prices, and make responsible choices within their budget. It's a valuable lesson that extends far beyond the school lunch table.

 

This is such a great concept, and one we will be taking with us as we continue to develop and improve our service. 

 

We understand the importance of fuelling young minds for success. By providing nutritious meals that help kids thrive and engage in their learning, we're not just delivering food; we're nourishing the future generation. 

 

So, as we reflect on the feedback from our valued customers, we're reminded of the impact ezlunch has beyond just providing meals. We're nurturing financial literacy, supporting local communities, and empowering children to make healthy choices—all while making life a little easier for caregivers. 

 

It's a mission we're proud to pursue every day!

 

Lana – Marketing, Mum 

Read more

PRESS RELEASE

Schools $55,000 better off offering lunches with school payments


In the common struggle for funding for those extra items such as more teacher aides and enticing learning programmes, NZ-based school payments system Kindo has come up with an innovative solution.

 

“We’ve found that schools requesting fees and donations on Kindo collect, on average, $55,000 more when they offer ezlunch (lunch delivery sales) on the platform too,” says Sandra Finlay, founder.

 

Finlay is convinced it’s to do with the 25% of school payments that are made in conjunction with school shop purchases… families are finding it easier to see what’s being requested and act while they’re on Kindo for other purchases.

 

According to Finlay, they’ve been hearing anecdotal evidence, but now the schools using both Kindo Payables (launched in 2019) and their ezlunch service are numerous meaning we have been able to analyse the data accurately. “We’re definitely hearing evidence of increased donations, reduced outstanding debts and money trickling in all the time where it never used to.”

 

Uptake of Kindo Payables has been rapid and schools are reporting positive impacts on both timing and volume of funding coming in, compared to use of other online school payment systems that don’t offer the ‘all-in-one’ shopping with school payments.

 

Ezlunch is highly effective as it’s often a drawcard for families to visit Kindo weekly. Schools also report using Kindo for trip permission forms, uniform, sports registrations and fundraisers can be effective at getting school payments made.

 

“It just makes sense. Giving busy families one place to transact with the school, that’s accessible, clear, and easy to use, and that they have reason to access often, is going to make an impact on school income.” And that, she says, is mission accomplished.

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A fresh new look for ezlunch

We are excited to have launched the new look ezlunch website today. It feels like a fresh start. Something a bit fun while many of our team, schools and families are still locked down at home.

 

More than that, it’s finally retiring the last of our original website, built as we were bursting with excitement to be launching the first healthy online lunch platform in NZ back in 2010. I was so proud of our look then! How things have moved on!

 

Most of our families were on computers at home, using Internet Explorer, and now we have phone apps and Google for everything.

 

My kids have grown with it – from nappies for the youngest to now university for the oldest, they were the inspiration behind ezlunch and it has been an indelible part of all of our lives.

 

We celebrated our first ten schools, our first one hundred, our first million items sold. Now we have Kindo school payments, and ezlunch, with 430 schools across NZ and millions of items sold. No excuse for paper forms and raiding money boxes now!

 

With all that change, it was time to update and a great chance to start showing some personality and fun for our younger school eaters.

 

We hope our little characters and new look bring a sparkle to your day, as we continue delivering fresh-made lunches for many years to come!

 

Sandra. Founder, CEO, Mum.

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ezlunch fresh made school lunch delivery system has a new website

Restaurant and Café Magazine feature two ezlunch providers

School lunches transform foodservice business model 

 

Two Auckland foodservice businesses have built resilience into their business models and boosted revenue by teaming up with online school lunch service ezlunch. The unconventional partnership has allowed both businesses, a sushi shop and a café, to weather the impact of 2020 Covid-19 lockdowns, coming back even more strongly to exceed previous sales. These businesses are two of the 90 food service businesses working with ezlunch across the country – and the company is looking to bring more suppliers on board in 2021.

 

Ezlunch offers schools across the country a wide variety of healthy hot and cold school lunches and after school snacks by matching each school up with local cafés or food suppliers. Parents order online before 9am for meals to be delivered directly to the school before 12pm.  Bob Han at Go Deli café explained that most orders come in between 8am and 8.30am, with parents ordering on their mobiles just before school drop off.

 

Located in Mairangi Bay on Auckland’s North Shore, Go Deli was the first supplier to sign up with ezlunch ten years ago.  Now Bob and his team deliver lunches to 52 schools, making between 1200 - 1500 meals every morning and sending them off on seven delivery routes. “We haven’t sent out a late delivery yet,” said Bob.

 

Since working with ezlunch, turnover has increased by 600%.  Bob has taken on ten members of staff and built a new kitchen for Go Deli Catering run by Maggi Foldi.  The catering business is 90% dedicated to filling ezlunch orders. “We work closely with the Heart Foundation to get accreditation, which means that our menus are assessed each year. This is really important to schools. We also use 100% recyclable packaging.”

 

Additional delivery and packaging costs mean that ezlunch sales have lower margins when compared with walk-in sales in the café, but the revenue is more stable and there’s less food wastage - and ezlunch proved to be a lifeline during last year’s lockdowns.  “Business dropped off when schools were closed but as soon as the children went back, orders picked up immediately and went on to exceed previous sales,” said Bob. “We were surprised, but it shows that parents prioritise their children when it comes to spending.” 

 

Greg Taylor noticed the same uptick in ezlunch sales post-lockdown at his Whangaparaoa sushi business with a massive 50% increase in sales.  Greg set up Sushi4U with his wife in 2013 as a conventional walk-in shop. He started a regular delivery once a week to one local school in 2016 but it was all analogue. “We collected a box with the orders, counted the coins and made sure everything added up – it was very laborious and there was lots of room for error,” said Greg.  When ezlunch took on the school in 2016, they approached Sushi4U to become a supplier five days a week, supported by an online ordering system and helpdesk team. “We were a little apprehensive about the 9am cut off and 12pm delivery but we were proved wrong,” said Greg. 

 

Sushi4U now supplies 11 schools, and the business is 99% ezlunch. In February 2019 Greg made the decision to close the shop to walk-in business and focus on catering. “It’s really busy, high paced work to get lunches out to our schools but we’re now earning more during in the 40-week school year than in the 51-weeks we previously worked.  It’s an early start but we’re finished by 12.30pm.”

 

Monday is a slower day for lunch orders so that allows time for ordering and background work like putting up themed menus for Easter, Halloween or Christmas or promoting any specials on the ezlunch system.  “It’s really easy to use and gives us the flexibility to limit sales of certain items or mark items as sold out if necessary. The system also allows us to limit orders if they’re coming in too quickly. That helps us make sure we meet delivery deadlines – we’ve only had to do that two or three times in six years. Ezlunch is great to work with. If there’s a problem the helpdesk staff are always friendly, they really promote our business. It’s a great arrangement for us.”

 

If you’re interested in talking to ezlunch about becoming an ezlunch supplier, call 09 869 5200

 

 

 

 

 

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