This year, one of the biggest changes to student life was the relocation of the Café. What was once tucked away in the school store is now integrated into the lower school dining hall, sharing checkout lines and shelves with the lunch service. At first glance, the move seems logical.
The new location is more central, more supervised, and might even discourage theft, but many students see it as more reactionary than revolutionary.
On the surface, the location has its perks.
“It’s a shorter walk and a good in-between spot,” Fifth Former Thomas Lentz said, noting that its placement makes it easy to grab something between classes.
The morning hours also work well for students picking up a quick snack or breakfast before first period.
But beyond convenience, there are limited benefits. Fifth Former Kevin Chan highlighted the decreased variety and limited restocking. “They mostly restock the ‘healthy stuff,’ even though they know what people buy,” he said. Breakfast sandwiches and popular snacks often run out early, and candy options are slim. “They only really have Celsius,” Lentz added. “If they are going to have caffeine at all, they may as well provide options students actually want, like Monster.”
For students who arrive late in the day, choices are often bare-bones.
“If you were a senior, you probably would not go to the Café because the options are mid.”
KEVIN CHAN ’27
Hours are another sticking point. The Café closes at 4:30 p.m., leaving little time for athletes whose practices end just after. Chan mentioned that squash players used to dash out of practice a few minutes early just to make it before closing, a struggle shared by students in fitness and cross country. Extending hours to 5 p.m. would make a difference, but as Thomas acknowledged, it is difficult to manage with the shorter hours, since staff cannot reasonably stay much later.
And then there is the line. While not unbearable, it highlights a larger problem with campus dining. Sometimes, the wait simply is not worth it.
“If you were a senior, you probably would not go to the Café because the options are mid,” Chan said.
Fifth Form student Raymond Kresge was more neutral, saying that while the hours could be better, the selection worked for his go-to order of a cookie and chocolate milk.
Overall, the Café serves its purpose, but there is room to improve. Students are not asking for a full-on Wawa, but they are asking for more thoughtful restocking, better snack variety, and hours that work for students with busy schedules.
Thomas Lentz envisions the ideal Café with more breakfast sandwiches, a wider selection of candy and drinks, and a few more substantial options for athletes heading home late. Implementing these changes would require additional ordering, restocking, and staff time, which is not always feasible.
Ultimately, the Café serves its purpose, but there is a sense that more could be done. Opening it up to student feedback could turn it from a place we tolerate to one we look forward to visiting.
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