Food Services

Four smiling boys eating in the cafeteria

We continually strive to provide reasonably priced, nutritious meals that students enjoy so they will be powered to learn when they enter the classroom! The Food Production Center houses a centralized warehouse, production, distribution, and administrative offices for Food Services. Over 200 food service professionals are proud to serve the district’s 56 cafes!

Free Summer Meals

Olathe Public Schools’ Café 233 Food Services team is offering free lunch for children ages 1-18 this summer!

The program runs Monday-Thursday from June 1 to July 23, with lunch available between 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the following schools:

Havencroft Elementary School (1700 E. Sheridan St., Olathe)
Northview Elementary School (900 N. Woodland Rd., Olathe)
Pioneer Trail Middle School (15100 W. 127th St., Olathe)
Ridgeview Elementary School (1201 E. Elm St., Olathe)
Santa Fe Trail Middle School (1100 N. Ridgeview Rd., Olathe)

There are no income guidelines or registration requirements to participate; however, meals must be eaten on site.

Ways to Pay

Pay at School

Bring cash or check to school. At the elementary level, please bring payment to the front office. At the secondary level, the student can bring payment to the cafeteria during their meal. There is no convenience fee for this method of payment.

Pay Online

Olathe Public Schools utilizes use SchoolCafé for managing student and staff meal accounts. The previous meal payment system, MyPaymentsPlus (MPP), closed on May 27, 2025 and the remaining balances were successfully transferred to their SchoolCafé accounts on June 2. Please note that MyPaymentsPlus will continue to display the prior balances, as that system no longer updates once accounts are closed. This allows families to see the final amount that was transferred but does not reflect current activity.

Payments made through SchoolCafé require a minimum $20 deposit and are subject to a 4.0% convenience fee. To avoid the convenience fee, payments may also be made by cash or check at the school.

Students can also create their own SchoolCafé account to take an active role in managing their meals. With a student account, they can view menus, check nutrition information, and track their meal purchases. This helps students make informed choices while keeping parents connected through their family account.

Negative Balances & Refunds

Negative Balances

Households may set up an automated notification called a “low balance alert” using a School Café account when the amount falls below their predetermined amount. When an account is -$20.00, Food Services will reach out by email or letter alerting the household that without payment the account will be sent to the district's business office to be collected. Please note, account balances (positive or negative) will follow the student each year within the district.

Refunds

Refunds may be requested through SchoolCafé or by emailing SchoolCafé. If emailing, please include the student's name, who the check is payable to, and the address mail the refund. Please note that refund checks can take up to two or three weeks to process.

Meal Prices

National School Lunch and School Breakfast Program

Filling out the federal free and reduced application will be necessary before students will be able to qualify for and access free or reduced breakfast and lunches during the 2026-27 school year. At the end of your transaction, you will see a message on your screen confirming "You have successfully completed your online application" along with your application number and a summary of the information you submitted. You can view these details on the My Applications page. Once processing is complete, you will receive an official notification letter. The results will also be available on the Eligibility Notifications page in your SchoolCafé dashboard. If you are unable to apply online, a paper Free and Reduced Meal application can be completed and mailed to Food Services. Please keep in mind that a paper application will take longer to process (10 business days) and you are responsible for any meal charges before the approval of benefits. Benefit determination is based on the income guidelines set by USDA.

If you have not received a notification letter within two weeks of applying, email Child Nutrition Program Specialist Andrea Hernandez or call 913-780-7005.

Applications for the 2026-27 school year will be posted mid-July.

Consent for Disclosure form

Families who qualify for meal benefits can also complete a Consent for Disclosure form either online when they are applying for benefits or via paper. The consent for disclosure saves families time by giving Food Services permission to share meal benefit status with other programs so families can receive additional benefits such as reduced instructional fees.

SchoolCafé Parent Resources

One-minute video on free and reduced-price eligibility

Meal Modifications for Allergies, Intolerance and Disability

Cafe 233 staff:

Will, at all times, make meal modifications prescribed by a licensed physician to accommodate a disability.
Will, at its discretion, make meal modifications prescribed by a licensed physician due to a food allergy/intolerance or other medical condition that does not rise to the level of a disability. Please contact the Food Services Office at 913-780-7005 to discuss modification possibilities.
Students are offered one juice and can pay à la carte price for a second juice.

Café 233 must receive the medical statement (forms located below) before the school can modify a student's meals. Parents/guardians should follow the medical statement instructions carefully for each meal category. Each section must be entirely completed and signed by a physician before modifications can be started.

Request Meal Modification (PDF) Request Meal Modification - Spanish (PDF)

Please fax the completed medical statement to 913-780-8144 or mail it to:

Food Production Center
Attention Steven Newman
14140 S. Black Bob Road
Olathe KS 66062

Nut Allergy Policy and Milk Alternatives

Due to the large number of severe nut allergies in our district, Café 233 produces school meals as nut free as possible. Nut products are avoided in any produced item at the Food Production Center made for school meals. There are nut products in the building for use in the catering department. These items are prepared on separate tables from where school items are produced, and thorough sanitation procedures are enforced.

Café 233 checks all ingredient labels of purchased items for elementary meals to ensure, to the best of our ability, they do not contain nut ingredients or are processed in a plant that manufactures peanut products. However, there are pre-packaged products that contain nuts in the secondary snack/à la carte options, as well as a pre-packaged peanut butter and jelly sandwich entrée option in the Café Combo Meal.

Parents should contact the Food Service's Office at 913-780-7005 and fill out a meal modification form if a child has a milk intolerance or allergy.

Questions? Email Steven Newman, Food Services dietitian

SchoolCafé — Meal Account Payments

When using School Café to pay online, there is a minimum deposit of $20 per account and a 4% payment processing fee when using a credit card for either a one-time payment or an auto-payment.

To get started, you’ll need to create a new SchoolCafé account with a username and password. Be sure to have your student(s) ID number on hand.

SchoolCafé

SchoolCafé Helpful Hints

Instructions on creating a SchoolCafé account (PDF)

Spanish instructions on creating a SchoolCafé account (PDF)

How to make a payment in School Café Video

Parents can pay with cash or check without a fee. At elementary schools, please take the cash or check to the front office. In middle or high schools, take the cash or check to the cafeteria.

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In This Section

Food Services

Free Summer Meals

Ways to Pay

Pay at School

Pay Online

Negative Balances & Refunds

Negative Balances

Refunds

Meal Prices

National School Lunch and School Breakfast Program

Consent for Disclosure form

SchoolCafé Parent Resources

Meal Modifications for Allergies, Intolerance and Disability

Meal Modifications for Allergies, Intolerance and Disability

Nut Allergy Policy and Milk Alternatives

Questions? Email Steven Newman, Food Services dietitian

SchoolCafé — Meal Account Payments

SchoolCafé Helpful Hints

Upcoming Food Services Bid Openings

Food Services Administrative Staff

Lori Carpenter

Scott Kingery

Steven Newman

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Links & Resources

Official Notices

Community Involvement