Considering the amount of time students can spend at school, food can be a very important part of a student’s experience at Prep. Where to eat lunch is a choice Prep students make on a daily basis often defining their diet, schedule, and spending. When it comes to lunch here at Prep, people have several options and even more opinions. 

Whether it’s grabbing a slice from Las Americas, picking up a sandwich from Legal Grounds, getting a burger from Gotham, or even buying some fries and chicken tenders from the cafeteria, even the underclassmen have quite a few options when it comes to eating lunch. But what helps students make this daily decision? Sophomore Joshua Tauriello makes his decision on price and hospitality, typically eating at Pizza Las Americas: “When I don’t bring lunch from home, I usually eat at Las Americas because I think the food is great and the hospitality of the workers is wonderful — they are always kind and patient.” Many students eat at the pizzeria because they know what to expect, and many believe it has healthier ingredients than the cafeteria.

Many students, like sophomore Gage Lucken, bring lunch to school almost everyday because it is “healthier and cheaper” for them to eat food from home.

How does the lunch at Prep compare to other schools? A sophomore from Regis shared his input on lunch at his school. At Regis, only seniors are permitted to leave the campus on a daily basis and juniors only on Thursdays. The Regis cafeteria is the only option for freshman and sophomores looking to purchase lunch. The Regis cafeteria contains a panini and entree bar as well as daily specials. “For lunch, it’s about $7 or $8 for food and drink. On a scale of 1 to 10 I would rate it like a 7.” Similar to Prep students, Regis students also only have 30 minutes for lunch, which is generally the biggest complaint. The split of students who bring lunch versus eat at the cafeteria is about 50:50.

Seeing the different way of lunch at Regis contrasts with how Prep utilizes its cafeteria and surrounding environment. Although giving students more freedom may lower the revenue of the Commons, it helps local businesses and is vital to those who cannot afford lunch at the cafeteria or are trying to eat more healthily.