New Cafe Layout Solves Some Lunch Line Problems, but Not All

Returning from winter break, students have faced a similar, yet more organized situation at the cafe after a $15,000 renovation. The new entrance creates simpler lines, but the same number of students still enter the cafe. With the student body growing to 825 high school students, the lunch lines have become long and unmanageable.

As a student at Monte Vista Christian since 6th grade, I have witnessed the growth of the student body and its effect on the lunch lines. The past two years have become nearly unbearable for students to get food. I often have found myself waiting in line, only to have the cafe run out of the meal I wanted, or to be frequently cut in line by other students due to the disorganization of the line.

With the new cafe layout, the organization of the lines has improved, and students now wait in line inside, instead of facing the elements outside the cafe.

Well, at least that was the expectation of the renovation.

Students still line up and crowd outside the cafeteria, and the overall wait time to receive food has diminished only slightly.

The underlying problem is the difference in opinion between the students and faculty.

Senior Katie Schmitzer noted that the renovation doesn’t resolve the issue of the long and crowded lunch line.

“If anything were to fix the cafe fiasco, it would be having a bigger cafe,” Schmitzer said.

Justin Cong, a senior, also addressed concern about the lines.

“If they could of done a split lunch that would have really helped,” he said.

For the faculty, the lunch line dilemma doesn’t sound like much of a dilemma.

“I don’t go to high school lunch, so I’m not aware of how well the renovation is working,” Admissions Officer Joan Bresley said.

Drama teacher Dawn Hoy said she’s fine with the current structure.

“I’m okay with it,” she said. “I don’t know if there’s a way to avoid it honestly,” she said.

Truthfully, the only way to avoid it is if you are a faculty member and you’re granted the privilege of skipping the lines. Because of this, Monte Vista faculty are unaware of how bad the lines truly are.

The unaddressed problem that allows the mad dash to the cafe is the lack of a senior early dismissal. When I was a freshman and sophomore, the lines were manageable and seniors were always the first to be dismissed. Now early dismissal has become ubiquitous, and all four classes swarm to the cafe before the bell has even rung.

“It sucks” Cong said. “There are no senior privileges anymore. Some teachers are good at giving early dismissal, but plenty of others are not.”

With the realization that renovation alone won’t fix the long wait, it’s time for administration to turn towards other options like split lunches or a larger cafeteria. With the proven success of split lunches seen on Mondays after chapel, it should become apparent that a schedule change will pay huge dividends to the overall lunch experience at Monte Vista.