Mother's Association in Manhattan, overwhelmed by the ongoing task of bag lunch preparation, has come up with a solution that could free them, and other moms, from sandwich-making agony. With the help of a professional chef, a business plan, and a reliable delivery staff, they created Mom's Coming, a gourmet lunch delivery service. If you know anything about French school lunches, and the French philosophy that nutrition and the enjoyment of food is just as important as academic subject taught in school, you might be able to imagine what the menus consist of. Instead of chicken fingers and French fries, they offer a diverse selection, like baked vegetables on rice, potato salad with green beans and sun-dried tomatoes, chicken breast skewers, turkey meatballs spiced with fresh mint, broccoli pasta salad, carrot salad with raisins, and fruit skewers. You'd never get a note from school complaining about the nutritional value of these lunches. For each day there's a set menu to choose from. You go to the website, place your order for the day or week, and the boxed lunches will be delivered between 6:30 and 8:30 a.m. Delivery will be made to your doorstep or to the entryway of your child's school, or camp. Special deals are given for bulk orders. "Because we are very thankful to our faithful customers and because having siblings is not so economical, the more you order, the less you pay by box!" The cost of the lunches averages $10, including delivery. The only catch, you have to live in Manhattan. For now. With any luck, it will be coming to other major cities. Just wait. Having easy access to good school lunches will change you lives.

As the number of dabbas delivered increased, many companies were interested in having advertising materials and product samples delivered along with the dabbas. However, after conducting trial experiments, the dabbawalas found that the extra time required to attach flyers or samples to the dabbas was too big a disruption to their system, and the projects were canceled. The dabbawalas also have received plenty of recommendations for increasing their profit or improving their operations. But the suggestions are usually accepted after careful scrutiny reveals their impact. For example, Raghunath Medge, the head of a dabbawala governing committee said that some business school students suggested they use motorcycles, instead of bicycles. But then their people would have to learn how to use them, get driver's licenses, deal with the department of motor vehicles, and costs would increase for the customer. That's not to say that the dabbawalas oppose change. They acknowledge they must adapt to major trends sweeping India, such as the exploding numbers of women entering the workforce. This shift will have a negative effect in their operations, because in India preparing lunches and packing them in dabbas traditionally has been a woman's domain. Consequently, the dabbawalas have started to collaborate with small companies and canteens that provide freshly prepared meals. At the same time, they have refused any proposals for backward integration-for example, setting up their own kitchens. The reason is simple. They won't allow themselves to be distracted from their core mission of delivering dabbas on time. The dabbawalas, too, are facing challenges as their market undergoes a transformation, but with exploring new opportunities while being careful not to deviate too far from the formula, they may continue to achieve amazing results. This is a lesson managers of all enterprises should take to heart.