3月，中小學相繼開學，學校周邊的“小飯桌”也迎來了經營旺季。

“小飯桌”從字面上來看自然就是吃飯的地方。因為經營規模不大，所以有個“小”字；而之所以叫“飯桌”是因為每天只提供一兩餐飯，并不像常規營業的餐館有各色菜式。

“Small dining table”(xiao fan zhuo in Chinese) is a commonly accepted name for lunch services provided by schools, communities or private homes for primary and middle school students who live far away from schools or whose parents are too busy to prepare lunch.
“小飯桌”指學校、社區或者居民家庭為離家遠或者父母無暇準備午餐的中小學生提供的午餐服務。

The business quite probably started from setting up a dining table and cooking some lunch for those students. That’s why it is called “small dining table”.
這門生意很可能就是從支起一張餐桌、給孩子們做頓午飯開始的，所以才會有“小飯桌”這個名字。

As business grows, their services expand too. Nowadays, a typical “small dining table” provides not only lunch services, but also after school pickup and tutoring.
隨著餐桌生意擴大，他們提供的服務也增加了。如今，“小飯桌”提供的常規服務除了午餐以外，還有放學接孩子，以及功課輔導等。

This “small dining table” business appears to be a win-win solution for both busy parents and people who have a hard time finding a job, but the challenges and risks behind this should not be neglected.
“小飯桌”對忙碌的家長和失業一族來說似乎是個雙贏的出路，但是這背后隱藏的挑戰和風險也不容忽視。

According to news reports from chinanews.com and xinhuanet.com, many “small dining table” operators do not have business permits or health certificates, and sanitary conditions are inconsistent due to lack of supervision'.
據中新網和新華網的報道，很多“小飯桌”經營者都沒有經營許可證和健康證，對廚房的衛生狀況也缺乏監督。

Starting this month, the food and drug administrations in Shandong province, Liaoning province, and Inner Mongolia autonomous region launched a registration system for “small dining tables” in the region. Information on all the registered “tables” will be made public and those violating rules and regulations will be blacklisted.
從今年3月起，山東、遼寧、內蒙古等地的食品藥品監督管理局推出“小飯桌”登記制度。所有登記在冊的“小飯桌”信息都將進行公示，違反相關法律法規的經營者將被列入黑名單。

（中國日報網英語點津? 馬文英）