Frequently Asked Questions

	Are you a restaurant? No. Our business began as a restaurant called New World Café — the first 100% vegan restaurant in Des Moines, Iowa. In 2020, we transitioned into a pop-up, takeout-only business that creates small batch vegan meal prep and products for weekly pick up or local delivery.
	How does your meal prep service work? We take a limited number of orders on our website every Tuesday-Thursday (or until we sell out). Each weekend, we prepare these orders in a commercial kitchen space and package them for pick up or delivery on Monday evening. Your pick up (or delivery) date and time is always listed when you check out.
	Will my food be hot when I receive it? No. We are a meal prep service with a minimal staff and limited time in the commercial kitchen space. Heating instructions for all of our plant-based dishes are listed in alphabetical order on our heating page.
	What happens if I don’t pick up my meal within the scheduled time period? We are only able to use the commercial kitchen space for a limited period of time. If you didn't add delivery, in order to receive your meal, you must arrive at the Mickle Center during the pick up window (Mondays, 4-6:30 pm). We recommend setting a reminder on your phone when you place your order. If for any reason you don't think you'll be able to make it during the pick up window, please reach out to us as soon as possible so we can try to make other arrangements.
	What if severe weather prevents me from picking up my meal? In cases where the National Weather Service issues a warning about severe weather, we will contact you via email or text message to arrange an alternate pick up time with you. Severe weather may also impact our delivery driver's safety, and if so we will inform you of any delays.
	Which of your products are vegan? All of our products are 100% vegan. This means no meat, egg, or dairy products are used. We also do not use honey. For more details, please take a look at our ingredients page to see what's inside every one of our products.
	Do you have nutritional information available? Due to the large size of our rotating menu, and the challenge and expense for a small business to accurately provide nutritional information, we do not currently have this available. There are no hidden ingredients in our food and we make everything from scratch using whole food ingredients. Feel free to reach out to us with any ingredient questions. We'll be happy to help!
	Where can I find full ingredient lists for your menu items? We have a page on our website dedicated to listing the ingredients for each meal. Possible allergens are marked in italics below the ingredients list for each item.
	Where do you get your ingredients? Are they organic? We order from a mix of distributors and local stores to get all of the ingredients we need. We choose organic ingredients when they're available, and are very particular about finding the highest quality ingredients. We make all of the components in our meals from scratch, like sauces and dressings, so there are no preservatives or hidden ingredients in our food.
	Is your food gluten-free? We use wheat flour tortillas and wheat pasta, but other than that, we don't use any gluten-containing ingredients. We work at a shared commercial kitchen space where other businesses bake with regular flour throughout the week when we aren't using the kitchen, but we wash and sanitize all surfaces. We have customers with celiac disease who have been able to enjoy our food without issues. We mark possible allergens in italics at the bottom of each product page. Some products are not gluten-free by default, but we sell a gluten-free option available in the product's drop-down menu.
	Which of your items are nut-free? Many of our products make use of nuts. There are a few products that are nut free. These are marked in italics at the bottom of each product page. For more details, please take a look at our ingredients page.
	Which of your items are oil-free? Most of our products make use of oil, which includes olive oil, sunflower oil, soy-free vegan butter, and/or coconut oil. On rare occasions, when we don't use oil in a product, we will note that in italics on the product page. For more details, please take a look at our ingredients page.
	How can I leave a message or tip for my delivery driver? If you have a specific note for your delivery driver, you can leave it in the "Delivery Address & Contact Number" box when adding delivery to your cart. You can also email madeline@newworldkitchendsm.com and we'll pass your note along to your driver! The tips on your pre-orders get split between all kitchen staff. The day of delivery, you'll get an email with your delivery driver's name and information if you'd like to tip them directly!
	Do you offer catering? We don't currently offer catering for hot food, but have done catering orders for ready-to-eat single serving options like salads, grain bowls, or wraps for corporate events. We've also done bulk orders of items on our menus such as pasta salads, hummus, burger patties, soups, etc. for special occasions or events. For a current list of all catering options and to check our availability, email madeline@newworldkitchendsm.com.
	What is your refund policy? If your order is incorrect, please contact us right away at 515-202-8315. Unfortunately we cannot offer refunds for any other reason. If you have questions or feedback on your order, please feel free to reach out to us.
	Are you taking COVID-19 safety precautions? Yes. Everyone working in our kitchen wears face masks and gloves. We offer curbside pick up for your safety and convenience.
	Other questions? Feel free to email us and we'll get back to you as soon as we can. If your question is about an order you've placed, please be sure to include your name and order number in the email.