Carlmont is home to around 125 clubs. But what makes Lunch in a Pickle Club stand out is that it doesn’t act as a club.
It acts as a micro-business.
Lunch in a Pickle Club focuses on creating a real-world “business” experience for special education students where they can practice organizational, money-handling, delivery, and management skills.
“Lunch in a Pickle is about enabling students to learn how to put together a business,” said Victoria Renard, a teacher who helps with the club.
Every Friday, students involved in the club deliver sandwiches from Lunardi’s along with chips, a mint, a napkin, and, of course, a pickle to teachers who order the sandwiches in advance.
Profits from the sandwiches go towards funding MORP, a socially inclusive prom that ASB throws around March.
The club is partnered with Lunardi’s and gets a discount on the sandwiches.
“A teacher that used to work at Carlmont explained to Lunardi’s what our group does and the intentions that we have on campus,” said Darian Dennler, a senior and president of the club.
The sandwiches normally sell for around $9, and the club makes a profit of about $2 per sandwich. Last year, they raised about $150.
Though the club was profitable last year, Dennler said that in years past the club did have problems making money.
However, this year the club had its largest order yet, a total of 16 sandwiches.
Though students may marvel at the thought of having a sandwich delivered to their classroom, Lunch in a Pickle Club only takes orders from teachers and other staff.
“We are not allowed to sell to students because of the agreement with the food service here,” said Emily Dugan, a teacher who is actively involved in the club.
Dennler explained that if the club were open to students, the result would be too chaotic.
“It’s similar to why you can’t do DoorDash here because there would be a hundred cars pulling up at lunch. It’s just to keep the excitement down and away from the students,” Dennler said.
Even though students can’t order sandwiches, an increasing number of teachers and staff are trying it out.
Gabrielle Blatt, a sophomore and vice president of the club, acknowledged that every order counts.
“We don’t make a whole lot of money off the sandwiches, but we do make a good amount. Let’s put it that way,” Blatt said.
