Forget the lunch box. Forget the brown bag. Forget lunch altogether. New cafeteria programs at local high schools offer gourmet dining with nutritious options to make lunch the best part of any school day. Instead of a boring peanut butter and jelly sandwich, students can indulge in a panini, wrap, pizza or a balanced meal made from scratch.

Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria and Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington have outsourced their cafeteria services hoping to provide a healthier variety of food.

The change in management has spiced up the old programs. At O’Connell students are losing the caffeinated, bubbly soda drinks to more wholesome options like milk and water. Pre-paid cards replace cash and are connected online so parents can monitor what students are eating. The daily specials at Ireton include breakfast and coming soon, after-school snacks.

Ireton changed the cafeteria system a year ago — the students and faculty give it a thumbs-up.

Under the old system, the school was losing money to labor and food costs, but the new system shows gains, according to Bill Simmons, director of operations and dean of students. The school should take care of educating students and leave food preparation to people who know what they’re doing, he said.

Simmons had heard good reports about Sage Dining, based in Towson, Md., which provides cafeteria services for other local Catholic and private schools.

"We brought the professionals in, invested in new equipment and spruced up the serving line," he said.

The school newspaper ran an article last fall naming several of the greatest improvements to the school. Even after the most successful football season in more than 30 years, Simmons said that the cafeteria ranked higher on the list.

The new system uses a declining debit system. This means that students no longer have to worry about having enough cash for lunch each day.

"That’s one less headache for parents," Simmons said, adding that no one will go hungry because they forgot their lunch money. Faculty members receive a meal subsidy to encourage them to eat at the school.

Every day, the cafeteria serves a healthy main meal that is popular with the teachers. Students salivate over soup, subs, cheese or pepperoni pizza, cheeseburgers, chicken tenders and fries.

Some students bring a brown bag lunch and add fries on the side. Complete meals run anywhere from $3 to $7.

"It was a big morale booster," Simmons said.

The Sage Dining staff was receptive to suggestions to spice up old classics. A group of students met monthly to discuss the food service and what could be improved.

The change also brought breakfast to the school starting at 7 a.m., an hour before classes start. Everything from scrambled eggs and bacon to cold cereal and fresh fruit has become a popular commodity with the students. Next year, they hope to offer after-school snacks.

O’Connell is implementing its new lunch program this year.

"We realized we’re educators, not cooks," said Barry Breen, school president. He agreed that by outsourcing the cafeteria, the school could provide healthier, better meals. Last year’s manager of the cafeteria services retired, so it was a good time to hand the food service to Flik International.

"Health is at the heart of their program," Breen said.

Flik will introduce a new chef to the community, and all foods will be made from scratch, said Eileen Coughlin, Flik’s regional vice president. The chef creates menus specific to the needs of the community.

"We’re not serving soda, only milk, juice and water," she said, adding that many schools are following suit.

The O’Connell menu will offer deli sandwiches on whole grain breads, many low-fat choices, a hot meal option of the day, salad and fresh fruit.

They also will use a declining balance system. Parents will be able to go online and add money to their child’s account and see how the money is being spent.

"There is a stronger emphasis on good nutrition," said Breen. Flik uses the theme of "Eat, Learn, Live" to provide information about nutrition to the whole school.

"We want to help students make right choices through examples and encouragement," Coughlin said.

There will be printed materials in the cafeteria, monthly "nutria-grams" sent, class room demonstrations and all-school assemblies to aid in nutrition education. Students will learn about the cultures of any international foods served as well, said Coughlin.

Breen hopes that the change will encourage more students to use the cafeteria.

The third diocesan high school, Paul VI Catholic High School in Fairfax, still organizes its own cafeteria system.