How do I place an Order?
- Login to your account, or Register for a new account.
- Choose available meals for purchase from the meal schedule.
- Enter payment information.
- Complete checkout and receive email receipt.
- For changes, cancellations, or order refunds, please refer to the email receipt.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I place an order for the entire month or week?
A: This online ordering system gives parents complete flexibility. You can place an order for the entire month, or weekly, if you prefer.
Q: What are my payment options?
A: Parents can pay online by credit card. If you prefer, you can pre-pay any amount of money you like with cash or check.
Q: How do I send in advance payment?
A: You can send your child’s money in an envelope and write their first and last name and classroom on the envelope.
Q: What is the District’s policy if I accidentally forget to send in advance payment?
A: If you forget to put money on your child’s account, or your order exceeds the amount of money on your child’s account, you can still order online using a credit card.
Q: What if my child is eligible for Free or Reduced-Price meals?
A: This system recognizes students’ pay status. If your student’s pay status is not properly reflected, please log on, select “My Account,” and click “Submit Change Request” under “Price Level.”
Q: How do I cancel lunch and get credit?
A: If a parent needs to cancel lunch for any reason, such as a child’s illness, they can do so by emailing the Food Service Director at foodservice@hawthorne.k12.nj.us. Cancellations may be made up to 8:00 a.m the morning the student is to be absent. This applies to free, reduced, and paid lunches. Cancellations will be credited back to your credit card, or put on account if you paid by check or cash.
Q: Can a parent change the item they have chosen for a particular day?
A: If a parent needs to change a child’s meal, they can log in to their account, navigate to My Account on the upper right and click Orders on the left side, click the order number you wish to edit, press cancel items from the Actions menu on the top right, select the days to keep or cancel with the slection box next to each day and then press Update Order at the bottom and wait for the changes to save.
Q: What type of confirmation will parents receive regarding their orders?
A: After a parent places an order, they will receive an email with the detail of their order/s. It will indicate the meal choice ordered on which day and the price of that meal.
Q: What do I do if my child has special dietary needs, such as a food allergy?
A: In the case of a child with serious dietary needs, parents need to email the Food Service Director to discuss the child’s needs and ensure that the menus available will satisfy and protect the child.
Q: Can my child order a second slice of pizza?
A: Yes, this is one of the menu choices. You will see, when placing an order, a one-slice pizza meal, as well as a two-slice pizza meal.
Q: Can faculty and staff participate in the program?
A: Yes. Any staff member can enter information for an order, similar to a student and then choose “Staff” when indicating which homeroom class they are in.
Q: What happens on a snow day?
A: The school policy will be to automatically issue credits to all students who placed an order on a day when the school is closed due to inclement weather. There is no need for the parent to take further action on these days.
Refund / Return Policy
All orders can be cancelled up until 8:00 a.m. the day of. A refund will be processed and will be refunded to the method of payment used. To cancel a meal and/or request a refund, please contact the School Food Service Director, Dominick Ambrosini, at foodservice@hawthorne.k12.nj.us.
Special Dietary Needs (Allergies)
The safety and well-being of the students we serve is our highest priority. As an allergy-aware kitchen, no meal is knowingly prepared on our equipment with any food that includes peanut/tree nut in the manufacturer’s list of ingredients, with the exception of coconut. It is important to note, pre-packaged peanut butter and jelly sandwiches or snacks may contain peanut/tree nut, contingent on school districts’ preferences. Students with food allergies, other than peanut/tree, are encouraged to pre-order a meal.
Please be advised, Pomptonian staff prepares and cooks a wide variety of meals in the kitchens. To minimize the chance of cross-contact, pre-ordered meals are prepared for students with documented allergies using ingredients that do not contain their known allergen in the manufacturer’s label. Please make sure there is a note from a Doctor of Medicine on file in the nurse’s office.
The staff who prepares the meals for students with special dietary needs receives ongoing training on food label reading, cross-contact procedures, and food allergies. Food Service Directors and Operations Managers receive monthly allergy training from our Director of Nutrition Services, Toni Bowman, MBA, RDN, SNS. Additionally, our Operations Managers, Food Service Directors, and our Director of Nutrition Services are ServSafe Allergy Certified.
Parents/ guardians, fill out the monthly allergy menu order form each month and return it to the cafeteria by the due date indicated. For students with multiple food allergies, please fill out Unique Allergy-Aware Menu Needed to request that a unique allergy menu be developed to meet the specific dietary needs of your student. You may also contact your Food Service Director with any other questions. For your convenience, you may place funds on your child’s lunch account or provide payment with the order form. Pre-ordered allergy meals will be prepared and packaged separately and labeled accordingly. Please let your child know to tell the food service worker they have a pre-ordered meal and your child will receive their meal with their name on it.
For more information on why our best practices for managing food allergies include pre-ordering lunch, please read, “Why Pre-Order?” If you need further assistance or require more information on menu items, we can put you in touch with our Director of Nutrition Services, Toni Bowman, MBA, RDN, SNS.
We look forward to serving you.
Healthy regards,
Dominick Ambrosini
Food Service Director
foodservice@hawthorne.k12.nj.us
973-423-6415; 3502
Why Pre-Order?
In a restaurant there is a typical method for managing food allergies.
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A patron with a food allergy notifies the server.
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The server then notifies the chef. At that point the chef lets the server know what the patron can safely consume from the menu.
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When the chef prepares the meal, cross-contact procedures are put in place and ingredient labels are checked.
In this example, the restaurant is able to notify the patron what is safe to eat and has the ability to put cross-contact procedures in place before the meal is prepared.
“Cross-contact happens when one food comes into contact with another food and their proteins mix. As a result, each food then contains trace amounts of the other food. These amounts are so small they usually can’t be seen. Even this small amount of food protein can cause reactions in people with food allergies.” (Food Allergy Research & Education)
Pre-ordering is important because manufacturers may change the formulation of their products and substitute ingredients at any time with or without notice. For more information on food allergens and product labels please visit: https://www.foodallergy.org/resources/how-read-food-label
Our best practices for managing food allergies have been developed to be in line with the organization Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE), the Center for Disease Control Voluntary Guidelines for Managing Food Allergies In Schools and Early Care and Education Programs, the Institute of Child Nutrition, and the USDA Accommodating Children with Disabilities in School Meal Programs.
A cafeteria is not set up in the same way as a restaurant. By establishing a pre-order system our staff is aware of the allergy, checks all product labels, and uses cross-contact procedures to provide a safe environment for students with known food allergies.
We look forward to working with you. Please contact your Food Service Director if you have any questions.
Privacy Policy
Pomptonian Food Service has created this privacy statement because we
believe you have the right to a safe, secure, online experience. We are
committed tobothprotecting your privacy and informing you how information from you will
be used. If you still have concerns or questions after reading this
policy, please let us know, using the contact information below.
We collect the information you provide in order to provide the service
of ordering meals online for you.
Pomptonian Food Service does not sell, rent, or give away your
information to anyone. All information submitted online to order meals
from the website remains the property of Pomptonian Food Service and
will not be shared with any other entity unless clearly stated online.
If required to disclose information in order to comply with laws, regulations, search warrants, subpoenas, or court orders, we will advise you if legally permitted to do so. Payment information submitted through the website is encrypted for your protection using industry standard 128-bit or greater Secure Socket Layer certificate encryption technology.