The Umbridge School District's hot lunch program was hemorrhaging red ink. Each year, the school district poured more money down the sinkhole. At the same time, parents complained about the quality of the school lunches. The food services director always had excuses and nothing really changed. When no headway was evident, the superintendent said to the board of education, "The only way we'll fix this mess is a clean sweep. Let's outsource the food program." So the district entered a five-year contract with an out-of-state chain involved in institutional food preparation. Selling their equipment to the vendor threw a small fiscal lifeline to a floundering program. To the district's leadership, this looked like an optimal solution. After a few months of positive energy and momentum, the parent complaints started anew. The school district's business manager reported to the superintendent that the new arrangement was actually costing more money than what the district previously had spent in its money-losing operation. This article discusses what schools should consider before they outsource their services.