Off My Plate Food Program Consultants®

Free 5-Day Challenge

The Behind the Meals Challenge

5 days to build your program's operating system.

Money · Operations · Compliance

Get your meal program out of your head and into a system your team can run, without hiring more people or working longer hours.

Save your free spot

Alana C. Jones holding a meal tray, host of the Behind the Meals Challenge

Next Live Round

Mon–Fri, November 16–20, 2026

12:30 PM Central / 1:30 PM Eastern

Live inside our free community. Replays posted the same day.

Registered Dietitian20+ years in meal programsFormer school nutrition directorChildcare center owner

You carry the meals, the money and the paperwork.

You run a school, childcare, senior or community meal program. Maybe you bid on meal contracts. Some weeks it feels like one missed record, one sick cook or one late check could sink you.

You're not short on hard work. You're short on a system.

  • Your whole program lives in your head
  • You're not sure your rate covers what a meal really costs
  • Paperwork piles up until a review is coming
  • When you're out, things slip

If you nodded at even one, this challenge is for you.

One pillar a day. One small win a day.

Each day is about 25 minutes, live at 12:30 PM Central. Day 5 runs about an hour. You do one simple action step, post your win, and move on with your day.

Day 1

Financial Oversight

Find your true cost per meal and check if your rate covers it.

Live 12:30 PM CT

Day 2

Menu & Production

Weigh 5 trays and see if your recipe matches what you serve.

Live 12:30 PM CT

Day 3

Purchasing & Inventory

Count the money sitting on your shelves.

Live 12:30 PM CT

Day 4

Compliance, Records & Review

Find the one records gap to fix first.

Live 12:30 PM CT

Day 5

Staff, Training & Operations

Score your whole program and write your 90-day plan.

Live 12:30 PM CT

Example numbers are used for teaching.

By Friday, you'll have:

Your true cost per meal

Figured with our free Plate Price Checker

Workbook preview

Your score on all 6 pillars

Of the meal Program Operating System

Workbook preview

Your first 3 moves

A 90-day plan, one move a month

Workbook preview

What happens after you sign up

1

Check your email.

Your welcome email has the link to our free community.

2

Join the free community.

That's where we go live every day at 12:30 PM Central.

3

Block 25 minutes on your calendar.

Then post a screenshot in the community so we can cheer you on.

Different plates. Same math.

School nutritionChildcare and CACFPSenior and adult day mealsCommunity nutrition nonprofitsMeal contractors

If you lead the business side of a meal program, you belong here.

Alana C. Jones, RD, SNS, MS — host of the Behind the Meals Challenge

Phenix City, Alabama

Alana C. Jones, RD, SNS, MS

The Lunch Lady CFO

I've sat in your chair. I've been a regional dietitian for a global meal company, a school nutrition director serving thousands of meals a day, and the owner of a childcare center where the money I counted was my own. In every chair I learned the same thing: the programs that last aren't the ones that work the hardest. They're the ones with a system.

Run the business behind the meals.

The company chair

Regional dietitian

The director's chair

School nutrition director

The owner's chair

Childcare center owner

The helper's chair

Your team's chair

Save your free spot

It's free. Live Nov 16–20 at 12:30 PM Central, with replays.

Free. Live Nov 16–20. Replays included.

We'll email you the community link and daily reminders. Unsubscribe anytime.

Questions

Is it really free?+
Yes. The challenge and the community are free.
What if I can't make it live?+
Every live is recorded and posted the same day. You can catch up anytime.
Where does it happen?+
Inside our free Skool community, Foodservice Money & Operations. You'll get the link by email after you sign up.
How much time does it take?+
About 25 minutes a day. Day 5 is about an hour.
My program is different. Will this fit?+
School, childcare, senior, community or contractor: different plates, same math. The six pillars show up in every program.
Is this a compliance review?+
No. It's general education to help you get organized. Always follow your state agency, funder and contract requirements.
Do I need anything to get started?+
Just 25 minutes a day and the free Plate Price Checker. We'll send the link.

Your program doesn't have to live in your head.

Five days. Twenty-five minutes a day. One system your team can run.