Here are some answers to our most frequently asked questions . If you still have questions, please send us an email at hello@theloopkitchen.com.au.
Ordering & Payments
1. How do I place an order?
Placing an order is easy! Simply visit our website (here) and ensure you have an account. Then, browse the available meals for the week and complete the checkout process using your debit or credit card.
Orders open on Sunday at 2PM, and will close on Wednesday 5PM.
2. What payment methods do you accept?
We accept all debit and credit cards via Stripe Stripe. At the moment, we do not accept Paypal of Afterpay.
3. Can I modify or cancel my order after placing it?
If you need to cancel your order, please do so during the order cycle (Sunday 2PM – Wednesday 5PM) to receive a full refund. Just contact us at hello@theloopkitchen.com.au. You will receive a full payment back into your account from the card you have paid with. If you need to cancel your order after the cut-off, you will receive a credit for future orders. If any enquiries or special circumstances, please contact us as hello@theloopkitchen.com.au.
4. Do you offer refunds if I’m not happy with my meal?
We do not offer refunds if you simply change your mind regarding our meals. Our meals are crafted with care and love, and all ingredients are disclosed.
However, if you consider that any Product sent to you is damaged, defective or fails to comply with any guarantees in the Australian Consumer Law, please contact us at hello@theloopkitchen.com.au with details and evidence of the defective product. We will review your case and notify you of the outcome within 7 days.
The Loop Kitchen handles and processes refunds in accordance with the Australian Consumer Law:
a) Refunds are made at our discretion and are subject to any guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law and;
b) except as required by the Australian Consumer Law, we will only facilitate a refund if we are unable to facilitate the completion of the Service or, if we determine, in our discretion, it is reasonable to do so.
Where a cancellation or refund is requested and approved, we will provide credits to the value of the price of the meals you would like refunded.
Refunds will be issued as a credit to your customer account. In some cases, monetary refunds may be possible, but these will need to be discussed. Refunds will be applied to the same credit card used for the original purchase.
Please note, once a refund is authorised, there may be a delay of up to 28 days or more before the refund is processed.
If you would like to cancel your order and obtain a monetary refund, you must do so before the end of the order cycle (Wednesday 5pm), or we will only provide value credits for your cancelled order.
To ensure accurate processing, please take care when specifying your delivery address and phone number when placing your order. Refunds will not be issued for incorrect details that prevent you from receiving your delivery or messages.
5. Do you offer a subscription service or meal plans?
While we currently aren’t offering subscription services, we’re working on making this available in the near future to make your life easier. We are all about convenience!
6. Can I order meals for multiple weeks in advance?
Unfortunately, we cannot offer meals for multiple weeks in advance as our menu is hand-picked every week based seasonal availability. However, we are working on making a subscription service that will allow to automate your orders, with the goal of making your life easier!
Delivery
1. What areas do you deliver to?
As a new business, we currently deliver to the following postcodes:
2527
2528
2529
2502
2506
But fear not! We plan to expand to all the Illawarra as soon as we can. If you need a bulk order and are outside of the above postcodes, please contact us at hello@theloopkitchen.com.au. We are always happy to make special arrangements!
2.When do you deliver?
Meals are freshly cooked on Mondays and delivered the same day. Deliveries typically set off around 2PM and are dropped off until 6PM. In the event of unforeseen circumstances, you will be notified by email about any changes regarding your delivery.
3. What if I’m not home when my delivery arrives?
Please provide us detailed delivery instructions on checkout by ticking the “Add a note for delivery” box. This is important especially if you live in an apartment building, so we can ensure your meals are delivered safely and securely.
Our eco-friendly Eskys are little warriors, and they will stay cool for up to 12 hours. However, we do recommend you make sure your meals reach your fridge by 7pm, particularly on hot days.
The Loop Kitchen will not be held responsible for stolen deliveries or for the content of deliveries that have been unattended for an extended period of time.
Please ensure you provide a valid mobile number at checkout to receive your delivery notification and updates.
4. Do you offer free delivery?
Yes, we do! We offer free delivery for orders over 75$ (excluding deposit), or at the purchase of 5 meals (this excludes soups and snacks). We also offer free pick-up of your your reusables, regardless of the size of your order. Just send us an email at hello@theloopkitchen.com.au to arrange a Monday pick-up.
For orders under 75$, a flat delivery fee of 15$ applies.
5. How do I know when my order has arrived?
Once the order has been delivered to your door, you will receive a text message.
6. How are the meals packaged?
Meals are packed in reusable meal boxes as soon as they are cooked. These boxes are placed in a eco-friendly Esky with upcycled ice-packs. Our upcycled ice-packs are simply old water bottles that are sanitised and filled with water. The Eskys will keep your food fresh for up to 8h. However, keep in mind that the faster they reach your fridge, the better!
7. Can I pick up my order instead of having it delivered?
Yes! This is an amazing option to save on the delivery fee and also on carbon emissions if you are driving past one of our pick-up points. Currently, we have two pick-up points:
1. The Source Bulk Foods Shell Cove : You can pick up until 5PM from the shop in Shell Cove. You will receive a text message when it has arrived to destination if you have provided the information in your account. Drop off of the meals is usually between 3Pm and 4PM.
2. Barrack Heights : You can pick-up your delivery from The Loop Kitchen’s home and meet the friendly founder from 5pm to 7pm. Pick ups are done straight through the window of the house!
We are planning to team up with more local businesses to create more pick up options and make it more convenient for you. To stay updated on all our projects and changes as we grow, join our newsletter – you’ll be the first to know!
8. What if I have an issue with my delivery or a missing item?
If you experience any issues with your delivery or if an item is missing, please contact us as soon as possible at hello@theloopkitchen.com.au. As a one-women-powered business, we will get back to you as soon as we can!
Reusable Container System
1. How does the container deposit system work?
Simple!
Here’s how it works. Upon ordering, you’ll pay a flat 50$ deposit for containers. These containers include:
Plastic meal boxes
Jars and lids
Eskys
After your order is placed, you’ll receive your order in these reusables. Please handle them gently and carefully! To help us maintain a circular system, we ask that you please do not reheat your meal directly in the meal box – this helps extend the life of the container and ensures it can deliver meals for longer to more people.
If you need to reheat of freeze your meal, we recommend transferring your food into your own containers, making it easier to return our reusables.
Once you’ve finished using them, please wash and place everything back into the Esky. If you return dirty containers, we’ll withhold 50% of your deposit. To arrange a pick-up, just email us at hello@theloopkitchen.com.au. You can choose to receive a refund or a credit for your next order – The choice is yours! Credits means you won’t need to pay the deposit fee on your next order.
Once we’ve received your containers, we will proceed to the refund or the credit for your next order.
You have 3 weeks to return your containers from the delivery date. If you return them late, 25% of your deposit will be withheld.
2. Where and how can I return your containers?
We currently offer five easy options to return your containers.
1. Pick-up: Email us at hello@theloopkitchen.com to arrange a pick-up on the Monday we deliver – any Monday works for us.
2. Leave it out: If you are re-ordering – No biggie! Just leave your Esky out on the Monday and we’ll come pick it up and leave some fresh meals in exchange.
3. In person drop-off : Swing by and meet the founder at 28 Bass Street in Barrack Heights on Fridays from 3:30pm to 5:30pm, or Mondays from 5pm to 7pm.
4. In person drop-off at The Source Bulk Foods in Shell Cove on business hours. Just don’t forget to give them your name so we can return your deposit!
5. In person drop-off at Tahlia’s Bakery in Shellharbour Village on business hours. Don’t forget to give them your name so we can return your deposit!
We are working on creating drop-off points across the Illawarra to make it even easier for you. Any ideas? Want to partner with us? Please email us at hello@theloopkitchen.com.au and tell us all about it!
3. What happens if I don’t return your containers?
We dearly hope that this will not occur. In terms of circularity, we want to get our containers back because we can return them to the manufacturer so they can reuse and recycle them.
You have 3 weeks to return your containers. If you don’t return them on time, we’ll withhold 25% of your deposit. If they are returned after 5 weeks, we’ll withhold 50% of your deposit. If they aren’t returned after 6 weeks, we will keep your deposit and you will not be able to order or use our services until your containers are returned.
We highly suggest that you use our meal boxes on the same week. If you need to freeze meals, we highly recommend you to transfer the food into one of your own containers so you can return our containers on time.
If containers aren’t returned and we do not hear from you, we will keep your deposit. Broken containers and jars will be charged at 50% of your deposit. If you believe a container is at the end of it’s life, please let us know and we will take appropriate action – this might occur even if we take great care to remove the containers from The Loop when they aren’t usable.
Our containers are sold for 27$ at retail price at Replated. The deposit we are asking is quite small for the value you will be holding in your hands. If containers are not returned, you will not receive your deposit back and might be prevented from reordering.
Please remember that our jars are hand-engraved with care, love and patience so we really want to see them again. They take in average 20 minutes each to make. So please consider the piece of art they are and of course, the environment!
We hope that customers can understand that by no abiding to the return system, it’s contributing to more demand from us and creating a bigger environmental footprint. This is why we choose to be circular: reducing our footprint from the start.
We hope that all customers jump into the loop and make sure our meal delivery service stays a closed loop!
4. Why do you use reusable containers instead of disposable packaging?
We’re committed to a circular economy. This means our main focus is to reuse ressources to their maximum potential, reducing waste along the way. Disposable packaging requires ressources to produce (often fossil fuels for plastic) and is only used once before being thrown away, leaving them to decompose in the environment and damaging the planet.
At the rate we dispose of thing, the planet doesn’t have enough time to recreate these resources for us to use. By using reusable containers, we’re reducing our reliance on single-use packaging and supporting the planet’s ability to regenerate its ressources. The slow transition into a more circular way of consuming allows to give a break to planet Earth.
“Circular economy is a model where resource production and consumption is based on sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing and recycling materials as long as possible. “
5. Is this a hygienic process?
Yes, absolutely! We follow all guidelines the Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ). While we ask customers to wash their meal boxes and jars, we don’t stop there. We sanitise all containers again before repackaging meals to ensure they are just as squeaky clean as when they were brand new.
And of course, we do the same to the jars. We inspect jar lids regularly to ensure they are still safe and replace them when necessary. All containers are safe, hygienic and go through a hygienic process before being ready for reuse.
Food & Allergies
1. Do you accommodate dietary restrictions or allergies?
We cater to a variety of dietary preferences, including vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free.. However, as a start-up, we offer a limited selection each week. Our meals will clearly indicatewhich dietary needs they meet.
We take extreme care to avoid all cross-contamination in the facility we cook in, but please note that we handle ingredients that contain soy, gluten, sesame and other allergens. While we do our best to minimize the risk, we cannot guarantee the complete absence of traces of allergens in our meals.
2. Are your meals organic/sustainable/locally sourced?
While our meals aren’t certified organic, we put great effort into sourcing our ingredients responsibly. We aim to use fresh produce that hasn’t been in contact with pesticides or chemicals, and ensure our food is as clean and sustainable as possible, with minimal food miles.
3. How long do the meals last, and how should I store them?
Our meals typically last between 3-5 days. Each meal will have a “Really Tasty Before” date to help you keep track of things. We use this phrasing because we believe meals are often still perfectly safe to eat after that date, but we recommend consuming them before that date for optimal freshness and best taste.
4. Are your meals fresh or frozen?
Our meals are fresh, cooked the same day they are delivered, and chilled for delivery. We use fresh ingredients and each meal comes with clear instructions on whether you can freeze our meals or not. You’ll also receive a booklet with your first order to guide you on meal storage, handling and other details about our service. You can find the digital version here.
Other Policies & Support
1. What should I do if I have an issue with my order?
If you encounter any issue with your order, please email us at hello@theloopkitchen.com.au – we’ll get back to you as soon as we can! We are a one-woman operation at the moment, but, fear not! We will get back to you as soon as we can to resolve the situation!
2. How do I contact customer support?
For all general queries, please send us an email at hello@theloopkitchen.com.au. While you can also reach out to us via social media, email is the most efficient way to contact us. As a one-woman business, we might not answer immediately as we don’t have a team member at the moment for customer service. But, fear not! We will get back to you as soon as we can!
