On Tuesday, October 13, many students entered the cafeteria to encounter a new addition to the lunch line: a salad bar.
But the salad bar is not the only change to the meal plan, nor will it be the last. In fact, the salad bar is just one part of a larger effort to revamp the school lunch service.
High school vice principal Ryan Frontiera said that he met with Sodexo—the catering service HBA uses—over the summer to discuss changes to the menu that would “improve the quality of student life and provide them with healthier food options… [that] may encourage or introduce students to healthier ways of eating and add more variety or choices to their day.” Some of these changes included the addition of a maunapua option in the snack bar as well as a self-service bar every Tuesday with weekly rotating options such as a salad, nachos, or a loaded baked potato bar. “Whether or not this is successful will depend on if the students choose to take advantage of the new options,” Frontiera said. “If students don’t use them then it doesn’t make sense to have them.”
The overall response to the new additions have been generally positive. Sophomore Joshua Leong checked out the self-service bar and liked it because “[there were] new things… instead of having the same things over again.” Senior Adam Murakami, a regular customer for the snack bar and the cafeteria thought likewise, saying that it was “good to just mix it up a little and make it a little bit exciting.” Mathematics teacher Terence Li seconded this opinion, saying, “It’s a step in the right direction if they continue it… [besides] more options are never a bad thing.”
Many students, however, are concerned with the pricing of the self-service bar. “The salad bar is five dollars, and I think it’s “small kine” rip off, to be honest,” Murakami said. “Maybe make it a little cheaper?”
Junior Noelle Nakamura agreed, saying, “It was a little expensive; [maybe] take it down a dollar or two?” Other suggested points of improvement and menu options from students and teachers included a fruit salad bar, white rice in the cafeteria, and a larger variety of healthier options. “If we are trying to be healthy, we should be healthy all the way,” said Li. “Offer things with fiber in it, or more fruits and vegetables.”
Many students were glad for the changes and said that they hoped that the recent changes would become permanent. When asked if she would come back to try the next week’s self service bar (loaded baked potato), Nakamura said she would be back for sure.
