10 Most Frequently Asked Questions

1. How much do you charge for catered hot lunches and when will prices increase?
   We are expanding our routes and delivery areas and are throwing away the “rate card” for the time being. The bottom line is, we will beat our competitors meal prices if we can to gain your business. Our price increases are effective October 1st annually and are very modest. As we grow, our purchasing power increases and our food costs decrease. Occasionally this offsets the need to raise prices. We’ve been known to skip increases some years altogether.
2. Can we try your service without making a commitment?
   Absolutely. If fact, we encourage you to try us for a month. Our contract guarantees your meal price and our commitment to great service. You can cancel with a couple days notice.
3. Do you meet federal and state requirements and approval of IDHS and CDHS?
   For over 20 years Plum Catering has specialized in providing childcare centers with catered hot lunch programs. Today we prepare and deliver over 10,000 meals daily to children in the Chicago metropolitan area. Our menus are reviewed and approved by certified nutritionists employed by Illinois Department of Human Services and Chicago Department of Health and Family Services. We are licensed and inspected by the City of Chicago Health Department. Our reputation and service areas continue to grow because of our strong commitment to the health and safety of the children we serve.
4. What if our children can’t eat something served on the menu?
   We try to please most palates and encourage healthy eating habits. Children pass through many different developmental stages that affect their food preferences. Any menu component may be substituted on your request. We also offer a daily alternate hot vegetable to cold salads, dessert and vegetarian substitutions, and pork / beef restricted menus.
5. How is our food delivered?
   Your food can be sent hot or cold, depending on your school’s needs. Our delivery drivers certify proper food temperatures daily on arrival at your site. Cold food is placed in your refrigerator. Hot food can be transferred to your oven, steam table, or can remain in its transport hot thermal box. We have also created a unique method of maintaining food temperatures using electricity as opposed to boiling water. We can transfer your hot food to this preheated thermal box that remains on site the duration of your service contract.
6. How do we know how much to serve the children?
   Plum Catering provides a daily receipt with your delivery that includes a checklist for all items ordered and delivered. Meal counts and menu components are itemized. For your convenience portions by weight, volume, and/ or piece count is also given. We provide food servers with a menu that includes main ingredient information and serving guidelines. We portion by volume and weight as opposed to “meal counts” giving us the flexibility to simultaneously prepare and serve the nutritional needs for toddlers, preschool, school age, after school and teen programs.
7. What if our order isn’t correct?
   Your driver is responsible for ensuring all the items appearing on your daily receipt are present and that your food has maintained proper food temperatures. Drivers are equipped with cell phones for communicating with customer service and management. We do everything possible to correct our mistakes before serving time.
8. How are we billed?
   Bi-weekly invoices and statements of account are mailed the 1st and 16th of every month. Our invoices detail the number of meals purchased each day in the billing cycle. Our statements include recent payment history for your records. Credit terms are available with application approval.
9. Do you sell and deliver our other food service related needs?
   Yes we do! Think of us for your all your breakfast, snack, juice, fresh produce, single service ware, paper products and sanitation needs. Our high volume purchasing power and bargaining strength allows us to negotiate excellent deals and we pass our savings directly to you. Please take a moment to compare our prices with your current suppliers. We’re confident we can save you time and money!
10. How do we get service started?
    Call us or fill out the box on our homepage. It’s that simple! We’ll need to ask you a few questions so that we can customize the menu portions and service options to your school’s needs. Then we’ll send you a service proposal and new start information packet. Choose your start date and we’ll take care of the rest!

Still undecided? Please feel free to contact our friendly staff for more information. Additional references are readily available. And you are welcome to tour our facility and share a meal with us. We hope to hear from you soon! Call 773-637-6800, Monday – Friday, from 7am to 4pm.