FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

GENERAL INFORMATION

What is Good Batch Mama?

Perhaps a better question is, "Who is Good Batch Mama?" We are a family-owned and operated company that believes that intentional time with those you care about is some of the most precious time in the world. Because of this belief, we seek to serve other families in our service areas by providing a convenient route back around the dinner table together. Our food is designed to capture the same delicious taste and quality of a homemade meal without the hours of prep and cleanup, making it easier for your busy family to gather together and share great food and life.  

OUR STORY

When do you deliver?

As you place your order, you’ll have the ability to choose which of our "Shipping Days" works best for you to receive your Good Batch Mama during the upcoming week. In most of our service areas, we ship orders twice a week, so you have options! Once your order has shipped, you’ll receive an email notification that includes your order details and tracking number so you can keep up in real time and plan accordingly for your estimated arrival time. 

Do I need to be home to accept my delivery?

Our frozen meal packages are designed with ice packs and insulated boxes to help ensure your food stays frozen, even if you’re not at home to accept the delivery. However, your food shouldn't sit out for longer than is necessary, so you should place all items in the freezer or refrigerator upon delivery or immediately when you get home. If you ever have any questions about the safe handling of your food, please contact us at shipping@goodbatchmama.com.

I'm allergic to ______, how can I be sure my food is safe?

We take the needs of our customers very seriously and will work to meet yours if we can! All of our staff has been trained in proper food handling procedures to best avoid cross-contamination, and we also have an ingredients list for every meal available upon request.  However, while we do our best to avoid allergen cross-contamination, we do process peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, gluten, soy, dairy, egg, shellfish, and other common allergens in our facilities, so we cannot assume liability for any adverse reactions to food prepared or delivered by Good Batch Mama. Additionally, we are not responsible for any cross-contamination that occurs once your package is in transit, though we do package everything to help prevent such cases.

When can I expect my meals?

As you place your order, you’ll have the ability to choose which of our "Shipping Days" works best for you to receive your Good Batch Mama during the upcoming week. In most of our service areas, we ship twice a week, so you have options! Once your order has shipped, you’ll receive an email notification that includes your order details and tracking number so you can keep up in real time and plan accordingly for your estimated arrival time. 

How is my food being shipped?

The safety and quality of your food is our highest priority, and we've designed a process that matches this focus. All of your food is packed into an insulated box rated for temperature control on active catering job sites and sandwiched between huge ice packs. We then drop that entire package into a cardboard box (another great layer of insulation), tape it up, and send it your way. We partner with major carriers to ship everything overnight to make sure that the least amount of time passes during which your food is in transit. In many cases your food leaves our shop in the afternoon and arrives on your door around lunchtime the next day (though, we don't guarantee your order will arrive that early in the day)!

Do I have to send the box and ice packs back?

Yes, you do, but we make it SUPER easy for you! All you do is drop the ice packs back into the insulated box and close it up, tape the outer box shut again (using the tape strips we provide for you in the box), and set it outside somewhere UPS can get it that the rain can't. You'll fill out a quick form to let us know you're ready, and we'll schedule your pickup. Most of the time, this entire process takes less than 3 minutes and we pick it up the next day. Quick and painless!

 

Why do we do this? Well, we feel so strongly about your food's safety that we made it our highest priority, and the quality of the packaging material reflects this choice - these insulated boxes and ice packs are NOT cheap! So, to help keep the cost of your food down, we just ask you to send it back to us. We'll thoroughly sanitize and re-use it! It also keeps our packaging waste down, which is a huge added bonus!

LEARN MORE

Can I keep the box and ice pack instead?

We ask that you send them back to us so that we can use them in the future, but if you don't let us know that your return shipment is ready within 7 days of confirmed delivery, then we will charge your card on file $295 to cover the cost of the box and ice packs. Not to worry, though - we'll send plenty of reminders before this happens, just in case you forgot or life got busy! We're not trying to "get" you - this just helps protect us against a huge lost cost.

ORDERING

How do I place my order?

It's easy! You'll be able to choose between pre-built packages designed to help maximize the amount of food you get with each order. All you'll need to do is select the meal size that is best for you (based on the number of people you want to feed with each meal), pick a bundle size (the number of meals you get at a time), and you'll be guided through a selection process to "fill up" your bundle. Once you've made all of the necessary selections, you can add your package to your cart and begin the checkout process, and once you complete that, you're good to go!

LEARN MORE

When do I order? Are there cutoff times for shipping?

We ship food from our kitchen in Kingsport, TN on Tuesday and Friday of each week. In order to add your order to the out-going list on either of these days, you must have your order placed by midnight on the day prior. So, all orders in by Monday at midnight will be sent out on Tuesday afternoon, and all orders placed by Thursday at midnight will be shipped on Friday. 

 

This is a rolling cutoff time, though, so if you miss the midnight cutoff, don't worry! We'll simply add you to the next shipping day!

Can I order food for a friend?

Of course! This is actually one of our favorite ways you all use our meals. If you have someone you would like to send some food to, simply put their name, address, and contact information into the "Shipping Address" section, and we will send it directly to them. Just make sure you let them know we're coming so they can safely bring their food inside before the temperature rises!

 

You can add a personalized note at checkout and send to a friend or family member!

What if I miss cutoff times? Can you squeeze me in?

Unfortunately, we cannot add any orders received after a designated cutoff time to the next day's shipments. Because we're always striving to keep food as fresh as possible, we don't keep a ton of extra inventory on hand for cases like this. However, we'll be happy to add you to the next possible shipping day!

SHIPPING

What should I do if there is an issue with my delivery?

We’ll do our best to email you ahead of time if your shipping carrier confirms there may be a change to your expected delivery day. If you haven't heard from us and your delivery doesn’t arrive on the day it was scheduled to, or if you have concerns about the temperature of your order, please let us know by emailing us at shipping@goodbatchmama.com. We're here to help!

 

You can also reach us by phone at (423) 460-6262 Monday through Wednesday from 8am-4pm ET and Thursday and Friday from 8am-6pm ET.  If you have a concern outside of these hours and call the number above, you'll be prompted to leave a voicemail, and someone will get in touch as soon as we can!

What is your shipping service area?

We currently ship to locations within approximately 300 miles of our base in Kingsport, TN. This generally includes most of Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Ohio, West Virginia, and parts of Pennsylvania and Indiana.

 

If you're outside this range, we may not be able to offer shipping at this time. However, feel free to reach out, and we'll be happy to discuss possible options!

Should my food go directly into the freezer upon delivery?

Unless you plan to enjoy one of your meals that evening or the following day, we encourage everyone to put their food back into the freezer until the day before you prepare it for dinner. When you are ready to thaw and cook your meal, simply move it to the refrigerator the day before you want to prepare it, and you should be good to go! If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to reach out!

How is my food being shipped?

The safety and quality of your food is our highest priority, and we've designed a process that matches this focus. All of your food is packed into an insulated box rated for temperature control on active catering job sites and sandwiched between huge ice packs. We then drop that entire package into a cardboard box (another great layer of insulation), tape it up, and send it your way. We partner with major carriers to ship everything overnight to make sure that the least amount of time passes during which your food is in transit. In many cases your food leaves our shop in the afternoon and arrives on your door around lunchtime the next day (though, we don't guarantee your order will arrive that early in the day)!

Can I track my food?

Once your order has shipped, you’ll receive an email notification that will provide your order details and tracking number, which has been provided by your carrier. You'll be able to track your food in the same manner as any other package on it's way to you!

When will my delivery arrive?

As you place your order, you’ll have the ability to choose which of our "Shipping Days" works best for you to receive your Good Batch Mama during the upcoming week. In most of our service areas, we ship twice a week, so you have options! Once your order has shipped, you’ll receive an email notification that includes your order details and tracking number so you can keep up in real time and plan accordingly for your estimated arrival time. 

What are your shipping rates?

We're do our best to keep your shipping costs down and are happy to offer the following rates for our Standard Overnight Shipping (1 Business Day, under normal circumstances), depending on which size bundle you get: 

  • Zone 1 (0 - 150 miles away):  $25 - $30 (per bundle)
  • Zone 2 (151 - 300 miles away):  $30 - $40 (per bundle)

All delivery dates are estimates and can be delayed due to an incorrect shipping address, payment issues, or shipping carrier delays. All shipping rates are calculated based on the delivery address, not the billing address of the order.

 

Note:  If you are one of our early adopters helping us with our beta testing, you should have a discount code to reduce your shipping cost.  If you're in the beta program and don't have a code, reach out to us!

Do I have to send the box and ice packs back?

Yes, you do, but we make it SUPER easy for you! All you do is drop the ice packs back into the insulated box and close it up, tape the outer box shut again (using the tape strips we provide for you in the box), and set it outside somewhere UPS can get it that the rain can't. You'll fill out a quick form to let us know you're ready, and we'll schedule your pickup. Most of the time, this entire process takes less than 3 minutes and we pick it up the next day. Quick and painless!

 

Why do we do this? Well, we feel so strongly about your food's safety that we made it our highest priority, and the quality of the packaging material reflects this choice - these insulated boxes and ice packs are NOT cheap! So, to help keep the cost of your food down, we just ask you to send it back to us. We'll thoroughly sanitize and re-use it! It also keeps our packaging waste down, which is a huge added bonus!

OUR STORY

Can I keep the box and ice pack instead?

We ask that you send them back to us so that we can use them in the future, but if you don't let us know that your return shipment is ready within 7 days of confirmed delivery, then we will charge your card on file $295 to cover the cost of the box and ice packs. Not to worry, though - we'll send plenty of reminders before this happens, just in case you forgot or life got busy! We're not trying to "get" you - this just helps protect us against a huge lost cost.

FROZEN MEALS

How many people does a meal feed?

We offer almost every meal in two sizes to help accommodate the different needs of our customers and their families. The small size feeds 2 to 3 people, and the regular size will feed 4 to 6 people. So, no matter how many mouths you have to feed (in addition to your own, of course), you have a great option! To make things easy and maximize your amount of food per order, we've created different packages based on these meal sizes, so all you'll need to do is select the portion size that works best for you, pick your package, and select your favorites from the current menu.

 

NOTE:  For some items, such as our crab cakes or burritos, we use a standard count to determine the sizes. In such cases, details for the portion sizes of an item are included in the descriptions on their product pages.

Does the menu change?

Yes, it does! We know that variety is the spice of life, and we want to be a part of your dinner plans for years to come, so we aim to keep things fresh while always offering your family favorites. For planning purposes, you can typically expect the following:

  • We'll make small menu changes on the 15th of each month, offering those who order multiple times each month a new selection.
  • We'll "drop" a new menu, with roughly half of the options changing, on the 1st of each month.

We hope that you always expect fresh, new choices for your family, but we never want you to feel like you're missing out if you're not checking back all of the time. If we have any big news otherwise, you'll hear from us!  

How long does my food need to cook?

Great question! There is no single, standard answer to how long our items need to cook, as cook times vary for each dish.  However, every meal ordered from Good Batch Mama has a convenient label on the packaging that includes easy-to-understand cooking instructions, including the estimated cook time needed and guidance on how to tell when your food is ready. Our goal is to make your dinner prep as approachable as possible, so many of them are essentially as simple as "heat and serve," but you get a delicious, homemade meal on the other side of it!

 

For an example of one such label, click to see the example below.

see example

Can I request changes/substitutions to my food?

Our goal is always to accommodate our customers whenever possible, so we will do our best to fulfill any special requests! However, we do handle these on a case-by-case basis, so there are some requests we may not be able to take care of and others that may result in an increased price for the altered item. If there is a change you have in mind, just let us know, and we will see what we can do!

 

For allergen related questions, it's important to keep in mind that while we do our best to avoid allergen cross-contamination, we do process peanuts, tree nuts, wheat, gluten, soy, dairy, egg, shellfish, and other common allergens in our facilities, so we cannot assume liability for any adverse reactions to food prepared or delivered by Good Batch Mama. Additionally, we are not responsible for any cross-contamination that occurs once your package is in transit, though we do package everything to help prevent such cases.

What if I'm not satisfied with my food?

Serving our customers delicious food that sparks joy is our utmost priority, and if you are not satisfied with your food for any reason, please let us know. We offer all customers a satisfaction guarantee and will work with you to make sure we make it right if something is not up to par!

CONTACT US

How long is my food safe to store? Frozen vs. thawed.

Assuming that the packaging is intact and your meal hasn't been thawed and refrozen, we recommend a safe shelf life of 3 months for our frozen meals! Once a meal is thawed (or being stored as leftovers), we typically recommend cooking and eating it within 4 to 6 days.  If you have any questions about safe food handling, please reach out to us at shipping@goodbatchmama.com!

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