How Fresh, Scratch-Made Meals Drove 100%+ Growth in Lunch Participation at Ross Valley School District

When school leaders talk about improving student outcomes, they usually start in the classroom. Ross Valley School District started somewhere else: the cafeteria.

Across five schools, the district’s breakfast and lunch programs faced a familiar problem—participation was under 20%. Students weren’t opting in, families weren’t enthusiastic, and the food experience wasn’t helping.

The reason was clear. The prior vendor’s meals leaned heavily on processed, poor-quality options. And when students don’t like what’s being served, they vote with their feet.

So, they had to make a change. The school district researched more options for vendors, and they even ran a taste test in their procurement process. At the start of the 2025-2026 school year, Ross Valley partnered with Ordo to change their meal program.

The Results: Breakfast and Lunch Participation Each Increased by 100%+

It was a game-changing decision. Ordo brought in fresh, scratch-made meals—the kind of food that doesn’t need to be “sold” to students with posters and incentives. It just tasted delicious, felt familiar and approachable to students, and was healthy. 

The Ordo team was also quick to adjust the menu and service plan based on feedback they heard from the Ross Valley staff. It was a distinctly different experience than what the district had been getting from their previous vendor.

Within a few months, the whole district saw the momentum:

• Breakfast participation increased by more than 100%
• Lunch participation increased by more than 100%

For leaders, this kind of growth typically means multiple wins at once: stronger program sustainability, more reliable service volumes, and a better experience for students and families.

In the first month, Dr. Tyler Graff, the Superintendent of Ross Valley, walked through a cafeteria and did exactly that—checking in with students one by one.

He texted our CEO afterwards and sent him photos of the meals: “Everything looks good”

No scripts. No formal survey. Just kids eating, and the numbers continued to show it. In the weeks following Dr. Graff’s message, participation skyrocketed by over 100% and has continued to sustain since then.

Why This Matters for School Leaders

Ross Valley’s story is a reminder that sometimes the fastest path to better participation is also the most straightforward:

• Serve food students actually want to eat
• Make meals feel fresh, not processed
• Listen early, adjust quickly, keep the experience consistent

When participation is below 20%, you don’t need marginal tweaks—you need a new standard. Ross Valley created one, and both breakfast and lunch participation more than doubled.

The school district demonstrated what’s possible when school leaders treat food quality as a priority.