Sandwich Baron tucks into healthier lifestyles for children


Selen Naidoo
There is no denying that health and proper nutrition go hand in hand and with only one opportunity in this life to ensure a healthy lifestyle, nutrition should be a top priority. 

While we are all equally responsible for making good choices for our own health, the onus rests on parents to teach children to develop a positive relationship with healthy food from an early age. While healthy eating habits most certainly start at home, it is even more important that these habits are exercised at school as well to ensure kids make the right choices for themselves. The reality is, however, that preparing and packing a healthy lunch for a school child is not always an effortless task for a busy parent. Having a full time job and being a 24/7 parent is challenging already – with remembering to opt for healthy lunch box snacks being even more so in most cases.

Fortunately, Sandwich Baron have the ideal way for children to get the healthy meals they need while saving parents the effort and time – and giving them some added peace of mind. The franchise group who specialises in healthier ‘fast food’ alternatives, has embarked on a tuck shop initiative by partnering with Reddford House School at their two school premises, The Hills (Pretoria) and Blue Hills Beaulieu).

Selen Naidoo and Zoleka Msomi are two franchisees who are at the frontline of this new initiative that is aimed at making parents’ lives more convenient, while ensuring that children enjoy nutritious meals during their busy school day.

“For me there is nothing more important than ensuring children are fed balanced meals. When they are young, their bodies are still developing, and proper nutrition is key to optimal functionality. Kids need to be fed well and it is no use they eat healthy at home but indulge in sugary snacks at school,” shares Selen Naidoo, who also owns the Sandwich Baron Kyalami store.

“It is because of this need for better nutrition at school that I became involved with setting up a Sandwich Baron tuck shop at the Blue Hills School premises and with the support of my first store close by, I know my team and I will always be able to meet the school’s needs.” 

Msomi shares Naidoo’s sentiments on the importance of serving kids healthier lunches at school and chuckles that making the parents happy is also a great perk for her.

“It is said that it takes a village to raise a child, and I do believe that every parent appreciates a hand when they get one. The tuck shop initiative not only saves them time and effort, but also gives them peace of mind. The parent is able to control which meals are prepared for their child and can rest assured in knowing that the meal is even delivered to the child’s classroom freshly made before break, if ordered on line” she shares.

The Sandwich Baron tuck shop at Reddford House, The Hills, serves as Msomi’s first ‘store’ and is operated on the premises itself. 

National Operations Manager of Sandwich Baron, Tanya Spence, is especially excited about this new opportunity to expose the brand to the school market and believes the concept will be spread to even more schools soon.

“The opportunity to become directly involved with schools in bettering the nutrition of children has been a welcome one. Having healthy alternatives on the menu has always been our selling point and we are glad that Reddford House is equally committed, especially as this is one of the pillars that Reggio Emilia, the school’s exceptional approach to Early Learning, rests upon ,” shares Spence. 

“The process of the tuck shop is all about making it easy for parents. They can simply choose the meals online (for the day, week or month), place their order and pay up front. The meal is 
then delivered to the child in class before break, which means the child does not need to go to school with money or stand in a queue for their food. This is peace of mind at its best,” concludes Spence.

The tuck shop menu has been slightly altered compared to Sandwich Baron’s main menus - portion sizes are smaller (french bread has been cut to 11cm) and the price halved on all those products. There are also only two salad and two baked potato options available, however, parents are also given different meal options and the menu is set to change on a daily basis. Meal items will be developed as and when required, and provision will also be made should events be hosted at schools and platters be needed for these.

Schools who are interested to learn more about the tuck shop initiative can contact the Sandwich Baron head office on (011) 907 6237. To find out more about Sandwich Baron and the opportunities on offer, visit www.sandwichbaron.com  

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