At Seven Hills, school lunch is a daily topic of conversation among students. From the popularity of turkey taco salad to complaints about overlapping menus, critiques of the coffee & sandwich bars, and the bad pizza, junior Tess Nelson and senior Siena Motch have plenty to say about what’s going on.
Turkey taco salad has been a fan favorite among students for many years now. But recently, the delicacy has been overshadowed by Mazunte, which is being catered on the days when turkey taco is being served. After talking to some students and interviewing Motch and Nelson, it became clear that both of them gravitated toward not liking the catering being scheduled on turkey taco day. Motch said, “I think that it’s not a good idea to put Mazunte on the same day as turkey taco day and other Mexican foods.” Many students agree with this statement, especially Nelson.
Regarding the issue, Nelson said, “I think they should switch the scheduling; that way if you don’t want Mazunte, you don’t have to have something super similar.” Besides switching the lunch schedule, both students thought that more catering options would be a good idea. “Chick-fil-A could be done, I think Chipotle could be done, just like the way that Mazunte is done with rice and beans,” said Motch. Nelson also agreed to have more catering options and suggested, “Chick-fil-A, Canes, Currito.”. Overall, both Motch and Nelson agreed that while school lunch has its hits, adjusting the schedule and adding more variety could make lunchtime more enjoyable for everyone.
With the scheduling debacle of Mazunte, the women were also asked about what they thought about the coffee bar and the recently added sandwich bar. When talking to Motch about what could be added to the coffee bar to improve it, she said, “Ooh.. I would definitely do some sort of iced coffee section. Maybe if they put an ice machine right there, I think that that would make the coffee bar more popular.” Motch’s opinion did not just stand alone, with Nelson’s also being quite similar. Both expressed the need for ice in the coffee bar, stating that they and others would utilize it more with the addition. After discussing the coffee bar, the two students were asked if they had ever utilized the new sandwich bar. Let’s just say they didn’t even know it existed, with both their answers being something along the lines of “There’s a sandwich bar?” Yes, there is in fact a sandwich bar.
Finally, the last question asked might have been the most important question of all. “If we didn’t get Domino’s for pizza day, what pizza place would you rather have?” Every Wednesday, Seven Hills has pizza day, where they serve Domino’s pizza. Almost 60% of the student body doesn’t like or have an issue with pizza. Some would even say that the pizza is old and was ordered the day before. While these claims can’t be confirmed, here is what Nelson and Motch had to say about it. When asked what other pizza they would rather have, Motch said, “I think another pizza place that’s reasonable is LaRosa’s. Taglio’s might be a little aggressive because that’s pretty expensive, but I would say LaRosa’s is a pretty good pizza and in the price range.” Motch’s’s answer focused less on what pizza place is her favorite and more on what’s decent, easy, and affordable. When asking Nelson about her preferred pizza, she said “Def Taglio’s” which seems to be a fan favorite among Stingers.
Ultimately, Motch and Nelson showed that when it comes to pizza and school lunch in general, students don’t only care about taste but also variety, affordability, and quality. Whether it’s LaRosa’s, Taglio’s, or Mazunte, their feedback shows the small changes that could make lunch a little more enjoyable for everyone at Seven Hills.
