SAN DIEGO — One of California’s largest school meal vendors aims to shake things up in the cafeteria.

Lunchtime is “wow-ing” the students at Integrity Charter School.

What You Need To Know

  • Grill Day by Revolution Foods aims to make lunch feel like a backyard barbecue to encourage students to eat

  • Grill Day serves sizzling food straight off the grill to students

  • Across the nation, nearly 14 million children faced hunger in 2023, according to Feeding America

  • Revolution Foods is hoping to expand their Grill Days to even more schools around California and Las Vegas

Eight-year-old Sarahi chose a hot dog right off the grill, while some classmates enjoyed a freshly cooked hamburger. 

They are experiencing a Grill Day by Revolution Foods, which serves students sizzling food straight off the grill.

Sarahi says she usually loves the food the school serves during lunch, but today is extra flavorful.

“I can taste the grill,” she said.

Jonathan Diaz is the director of customer service at Revolution Foods, one of California’s largest K-12 school meal vendors. He says they host Grill Days across California and in Las Vegas, aiming to make lunch feel like a backyard barbecue to encourage students to eat.

“The more the kids are eating, the more that it’s part of their everyday, the more they’re going to bring it into their routine,” Diaz said. “They’ll come check the cafeteria to see what’s for lunch.”

Teresa Hart-Sanchez is the executive director at Integrity Charter School, the only charter school in National City.

She says this also allows them to introduce new foods to their students that they wouldn’t usually get a chance to try, like mango sorbet.

Hart-Sanchez says most of their students are from lower incomes, and they try to provide reliable, nutritious meals to all their students.

“We pay attention to what they’re eating, what they say they want to eat, and we provide them that food because we don’t want them to turn the food away,” she said. “It’s possible these are the only meals they get today.”

Across the nation, nearly 14 million children faced hunger in 2023, according to Feeding America. And one in every five children is unsure where they will get their next meal, according to the USDA.

Eight-year-old Maritza says she loved the Grill Day.

“It was so happy, it’s happy,” she said. “Ms. Hart gives her whole heart to make this food for us.”

While Grill Days has a bigger mission to provide access to quality food for everyone, Sarahi knows it also shows the love her teachers have for them.

“I try my best to be good and I really hope we have another grill day because I know the teachers appreciate us having lunch,” she said. “I’m really happy because they did this for us.”

Revolution Foods hopes to expand its Grill Days to even more California and Las Vegas schools.