August 2025 Back to School Newsletter
August 13th, 2025
In this issue:
• School meals are FREE!
• New menu with featured items
• Farm to School Feature
• Ours Vs Theirs: Food Comparison
• Job & career opportunities
Welcome Back to School!
Welcome to our back-to-school newsletter. We’re excited for a new year, a new menu with lots of delicious, nutritious items, and building on our acclaimed Farm to School program.
Please follow us on social media for regular updates, menu features, nutrition information, food trivia, and more.
Meals Are Free For The 2025-26 School Year
We are thrilled to announce that all student meals are offered at no cost again this school year. California is one of nine states in the country to invest in Universal Meals, which delivers amazing benefits to our students and families.
All enrolled students of Vista Unified are eligible to receive a healthy breakfast and lunch at school at no charge to your household each day of the 2025/2026 school year. No further action is required of you. Your child(ren) will be able to participate in these meal programs without having to pay a fee or submit an application.
Join us for breakfast and lunch each day to be powered to learn and grow. Each meal comes with a selection of fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables from local California farms.
Beyond the tasty, nutrient-packed meals, providing students with free meals has other amazing benefits, including saving families time and money, boosting attendance, and increasing students’ ability to focus in class.
Join us for meals all year – we can’t wait to see you!
NEW FALL MENU
Our fall menu is ready to view here: https://wavecrestcafe.com/menu/ We’ve got plenty of tasty new menu items in store, and are happy to be working with local vendors and farmers. A few things of note:
Semester-long menus: We received positive feedback from students regarding the semester-long menus, as they provided more menu choices by having a three-week menu cycle! More variety means students stay more engaged with the menu and are excited about upcoming entree items. Your students will be able to find long-time favorite entrees along with some new items. We’re excited to share that we’re expanding our vegetarian and vegan choices for students! New additions include vegetarian chicken nuggets and a vegan hot dog, giving students more variety and delicious plant-based options at mealtime.
Protein-rich breakfast entrees: We continue to develop more protein-rich breakfast entrees to offer each and every day as part of a healthy and delicious mix of foods designed to power learning all day long. Among the items are:
• Omelet with French Toast
• Ham & Cheese Burrito
• Bacon & Cheese Egg Bites with Mini Pancakes
• Yogurt Parfait
• Egg & Cheese Croissant
• Pizza Toast
• Breakfast Taquito
• Breakfast Pocket with Turkey Sausage, Egg, and Cheese
All breakfasts come with a selection of fresh, seasonal fruits. Enjoy these protein-packed entrees and join us for breakfast daily!
Featured lunch entrees: We’re adding a bunch of new options to our already robust mix of returning favorite items. This fall sees the return of our popular Carnitas Tacos, the Orange Chicken & Rice Bowl, and a fresh-baked WaveCrest Pizza with sausage, bacon, and jalapeño, alongside cheese and pepperoni options.
Additional Lunch Entree options include:
• California Burrito
• Beef & Broccoli with Rice
• Build Your Own Parfait Bar (Elementary Schools Only)
• Birria Pupusa
• Mac & Cheese (Elementary Schools Only)
• Buffalo Ranch Mac & Cheese (Secondary Schools Only)
• Chicken & Mini Maple Waffles
• Pasta Stuffed Shells
• Vegetarian Chicken Nuggets
• Carnitas Tacos
• Orange Chicken with Rice
Be sure to check your school’s menu for your daily favorites.
*** Menus are subject to change based on ingredient availability and staffing needs.
How Our Meals Measure Up
A recent study by Tufts University on the eating habits of more than 60,000 Americans, including 21,000 children, concluded that “Schools are now the healthiest place most Americans are eating.”
Much of that has to do with the nutritional content found in school meals, which ensures that students (and staff) who eat with us receive meals that are:
• Protein-rich
• Low in saturated fats
• Low in sodium
• Packed with whole grains (that have up to 3x the nutrients of enriched grains)
At WaveCrest Cafe, we also offer fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables, many from local, California farms, with every meal. We are proud to say that we ensure that every child has access to delicious, nutrient-packed fruits and vegetables every day.
Here are a couple of examples of how our meals stack up to the meals that many children encounter.
You can find the nutritional information for our food on our website.
You can also look at all of our information on MenuLogic K12, where we have nutrition and allergen information by item.
To read the Tufts University study on the eating habits of Americans, click here.
Farm To School Spotlight: Local Foods
Local Foods For Our Students
Last year, we purchased 278,895 lbs of fresh, seasonal California produce, including 100,645 lbs. of fruits and vegetables from local farms within 75 miles of our Central Kitchen!
It’s part of our commitment to Farm 2 School and working with as many local, California farms as possible. Among the local farms we’re working with are Dassi Family Farms, Davis Farms, Sage Farms, and Stehly Farms Organics.
Be sure to watch for an ever-changing selection of fresh fruits & veggies on our salad bars and at all cafeterias. Every student has a chance to build their perfect plate packed with delicious, fresh foods that deliver vital vitamins and nutrients.
Practice With Your Child: Entering Their ID on a KeyPad
To make your child’s dining experience even better, help them to practice entering their student ID number on a keypad (especially for our youngest learners). This is the process we use to track the number of meals served so that we are reimbursed for the right number of meals and can make the most of our resources.
Download this PDF practice sheet and practice at home with your child.
We’re Hiring!
Join Our Amazing Team.
School nutrition is an extremely rewarding job. You can be part of the nation’s largest restaurant group, serving tasty and nutritious meals to our children each and every day. What’s more, you’ll meet amazing people who are skilled, dedicated, and passionate about their roles.
Our team has the unique opportunity to interact with almost every student, every day. Those interactions make a big difference in our kids’ lives and lead to long-lasting and meaningful friendships.
See all of our available positions here: https://wavecrestcafe.com/employment-opportunities/
Follow us on social media:
(C) 2025 WaveCrest Cafe / Vista Unified School District
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
Esta institución es un proveedor de igualdad de oportunidades.
In accordance with federal civil rights law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, the USDA, its agencies, offices, employees, and institutions participating in or administering USDA programs are prohibited from discriminating based on race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, age, marital status, family/parental status, income derived from a public assistance program, political beliefs, or reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity, in any program or activity conducted or funded by USDA (not all bases apply to all programs). Remedies and complaint filing deadlines vary by program or incident.
Persons with disabilities who require alternative means of communication for program information (e.g., Braille, large print, audiotape, American Sign Language, etc.) should contact the state or local agency that administers the program or contact USDA through the Telecommunications Relay Service at 711 (voice and TTY). Additionally, program information may be made available in languages other than English.
To file a program complaint of discrimination, complete the USDA Program Discrimination Complaint Form (AD-3027), found online at http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html and at any USDA office, or write a letter addressed to USDA and provide in the letter all of
the information requested in the form. To request a copy of the complaint form, call 866-632-9992. Submit your completed form or letter to USDA by:
(1) Mail: U.S. Department of Agriculture
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights
1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Mail Stop 9410
Washington, D.C. 20250-9410
(2) Fax: 202-690-7442
(3) E-mail: [email protected]
This institution is an equal opportunity provider.
Declaración de no discriminación de USDA De conformidad con la ley federal de derechos civiles, y las regulaciones y políticas de derechos civiles del Departamento de Agricultura de los Estados Unidos (USDA, por sus siglas en inglés), el USDA, sus agencias, oficinas y empleados, y las instituciones que participan en los programas del USDA o los administran, tienen prohibido discriminar basándose en la raza, color, origen nacional, religión, sexo, identidad de género (incluida la expresión de género), orientación sexual, discapacidad, edad, estado civil, estado familiar/parental, ingresos derivados de un programa de asistencia pública o ideología política, y tomar represalias por actividad previa sobre derechos civiles, en cualquier programa o actividad dirigida o financiada por el USDA (no todas las bases aplican a todos los programas). Las fechas límite de la presentación de quejas y recursos legales varían según el programa o incidente.
Las personas con discapacidades que requieren medios de comunicación alternativos para recibir información sobre el programa (por ejemplo, Braille, letra grande, cinta de audio, lengua de señas estadounidense, etcétera) deben contactar la agencia responsable o al TARGET Center del USDA al (202) 720-2600 (voz y TTY), o contactar al USDA a través del Servicio Federal de Retransmisión llamando al (800) 877-8339. Además, la información del programa puede estar disponible en otros idiomas distintos al inglés.
Para presentar una queja sobre discriminación en el programa, complete el Formulario de quejas sobre discriminación en el programa, AD-3027, que se encuentra en http://www.ascr.usda.gov/complaint_filing_cust.html y en cualquier oficina del USDA, o escriba una carta dirigida al USDA y proporcione en ella toda la información solicitada en el formulario. Para solicitar una copia del formulario de quejas, llame al (866) 632-9992. Envíe su formulario completo o carta al USDA por los siguientes medios:
(1) (2) (3) correo postal: U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights 1400 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, D.C. 20250-9410;
(2) fax: (202) 690-7442; o
(3) correo electrónico: [email protected].
USDA es un proveedor, empleador y entidad crediticia que ofrece igualdad de oportunidades.