Bay Area School Catering Services — Full Service, Fully Fresh
Daily lunch programs, board meetings, faculty events, field days, graduation celebrations. One Bay Area family has catered for schools since 1946 — three generations of doing this right.
Simple, Reliable, and Fresh — Every Day
Daily lunch catering
40+ meals/day programs — preschool, camps
Special events
Board meetings, parent nights, faculty appreciation
Graduation & field days
One-time large-volume catering, custom menus
Education-only focus
We don’t cater corporate or weddings — only schools
Most catering companies do weddings, corporate lunches, and the occasional school. SchoolFoodies only does schools. That focus is the entire point.
When we cater your board meeting, the food fits the moment — professional but not corporate-stiff, kid-friendly options available if family members come along, easy logistics that don’t pull facilities staff away from running the school. When we cater your daily lunch program, we know what 4th graders will actually eat and what allergies your office assistant tracks each morning.
We’ve been catering Bay Area schools as a family business since Russ Upton opened Upton’s Restaurant in San Francisco in 1946, later expanding into school catering. His niece and her husband expanded into school cafeteria service in 1976. Dennis King (Russ’s great-nephew, third generation) launched SchoolFoodies in 2006 to modernize the model — online ordering, GPS delivery, allergen tracking, compostable packaging.
Eighty years of catering for schools and only schools. That’s the difference.
What We Cater for Bay Area Schools
Six core school catering scenarios. We’ve built specific workflows for each.
Most Common
Daily Lunch Catering Programs
Our flagship service. Up to 10 fresh meal options per school day, delivered, labeled by student name and grade.
Best for: Private schools, preschools, summer camps with 40+ daily lunches.
Quarterly
Board & Stakeholder Meetings
Professional catering for school board meetings, donor events, and parent association gatherings.
Best for: 10–80 attendees, scheduled events with dietary forms.
Annual
Graduation & Promotion Events
End-of-year ceremony catering — outdoor receptions, indoor luncheons, finger food for families.
Best for: 100–500 attendees, dietary variety expected.
Annual
Field Days & Sports Events
Bulk-volume meal catering for school athletic events, field days, tournament hosts.
Best for: 50–300 students + parents, casual outdoor-friendly menu.
Recurring
Faculty Appreciation Meals
Teacher conference catering, in-service day lunches, faculty appreciation week meals.
Best for: 15–80 teachers, professional adult menu.
As Needed
Field Trip Box Lunches
Pre-packaged, labeled box lunches for field trips, off-campus events, or weekend programs.
Best for: 20–200 students, allergen-conscious individual packaging.
How SchoolFoodies School Catering Compares
Most catering companies cater everything. We cater only schools and we’ve done it for
80 years. Here’s what that focus changes.
| Capability | SchoolFoodies | General Catering Co. |
|---|---|---|
| Student-name labeling on every package | ✔ | Rarely |
| Allergen tracking integrated with school portal | ✔ | Manual |
| Kid-tested menu (50+ active school programs) | ✔ | Adult menus adapted |
| Compostable packaging by default | ✔ | Extra cost |
| Real-time GPS delivery tracking | ✔ | Phone calls |
| Daily ongoing programs (not just one-off events) | ✔ | Event-only |
| Family-operated, three generations | 80 Years | Varies |
Frequently Asked Questions About School Catering
What is school catering and how does it differ from school lunch delivery?
School catering is broader than just daily lunch delivery. It covers ongoing daily lunch programs plus one-time events like school board meetings, parent nights, faculty appreciation meals, graduation receptions, field days, and field trip box lunches. SchoolFoodies provides full-service Bay Area school catering across all of these — daily programs are our flagship, and event catering uses the same fresh-prep kitchen and student-labeling logistics.
Does SchoolFoodies cater for preschools and summer camps too?
Yes. SchoolFoodies caters daily lunches and events for preschools, private schools, summer camps, and after-school programs across the San Francisco Bay Area. Portions and menu items are adjusted by age group — preschool portions, K-5 portions, and 6th-grade-and-above portions are priced and prepped separately.
Can SchoolFoodies cater special school events like board meetings or field days?
Yes. Beyond daily lunch programs, SchoolFoodies caters special events including parent meetings, board events, field days, faculty appreciation meals, graduation celebrations, and field trip lunches. Event menus can be customized for adult-only audiences (board meetings) or kid-and-family audiences (graduations and field days).
What's the minimum order for school catering?
For daily lunch programs, schools need to average 40+ meals per day. For one-time event catering, minimums depend on the event type — field day box lunches start at 20, board meeting catering starts at 10, larger event catering scales without a hard upper limit. Contact us for a custom quote.
Are SchoolFoodies catering services available outside the Bay Area?
Currently, SchoolFoodies serves schools across the San Francisco Bay Area only — from San Francisco and the Peninsula to Hayward, the East Bay, Tri-Valley, and parts of Marin County. We do not cater outside the Bay Area at this time.
How far in advance do we need to book school catering?
For daily programs: typically 2-3 weeks lead time for full setup. For one-time event catering: 2 weeks ideal, 1 week minimum. Last-minute requests (under a week) handled case-by-case based on kitchen capacity.
Tell us about your school catering need — daily program, board meeting, graduation, field day, or anything else. We’ll come back with a custom proposal within 2 business days.
