Board selects Lunchmaster (Nob Hill Catering) as district vended‑meal provider for 2025–26

The Belmont‑Redwood Shores School District Board of Trustees approved a one‑year contract (with renewal options) Tuesday to have Nob Hill Catering, doing business as Lunchmaster, provide vended meal services for the 2025–26 school year.

District staff told trustees the selection followed a formal RFP that required vendor tastings and operational review. "After that, we received four responses, we disqualified one that did not make operational sense and moved three forward," the district's presentation said. The final recommendation to award the contract went to Nob Hill Catering (Lunchmaster) after interviews with the district nutrition team and the superintendent.

Members discussed the practical limits of federally reimbursed school meals. Chief Business Officer Rhys Matsumoto explained federal reimbursement rates and operational constraints: the federal reimbursement, he said, is roughly $2.37 for breakfast and $4.43 for lunch, which is substantially lower than common retail meal prices in the Bay Area. Matsumoto cautioned trustees that raising meal quality by increasing district per‑meal contributions would increase operational costs and could change student participation rates; he presented a sensitivity table showing how higher per‑meal contributions plus higher participation could raise district costs materially.

Trustees asked about food waste, donation of uneaten meals and meal tracking. The district said uneaten meals that meet partner requirements have been donated to Samaritan House, and that contract language now requires meal dating so recipient agencies will accept donations. Meal counts are tracked via student ID cards and will move toward PIN entry for older students next year. Leftover meals that cannot be reused are included in vendor cost calculations, district staff said.

The board voted to award vended‑meal services to Nob Hill Catering/Lunchmaster. The motion passed unanimously; trustees said the contract is yearly with up to four renewals, allowing the district to re‑evaluate vendor performance annually.

District leaders also briefed the board on three longer‑term choices the district is studying: continue the current vended‑meal approach with the same contribution, increase district per‑meal contributions for higher quality, or build in‑district kitchens and run a district food operation. Staff noted in‑district kitchens would require substantial capital investment and ongoing staffing and that even a local kitchen would not eliminate some quality loss that occurs when packaged hot meals are transported and held.

The district plans to notify families about the vendor change and a revised Wednesday lunch schedule before the start of the school year.