Alright, we can all admit school lunch food is no gourmet meal. I mean, students have even compared it to prison food. Plus, we can all agree that lunch during the Covid-19 school years were rough. But do Lockport students take their lunch options for granted?

Last year, two seniors set off and created a food review Instagram account for our school lunches (@lthsfoodreview on Instagram). They would sit down with their lunch and record them eating their first bites, and everyone in the video would rate it on a scale of one to ten. In one video, they review Bosco sticks, saying, “The bread tastes wrong, and the cheese isn’t right, sour almost.” And, “Cheese is tough as plastic, not good, disappointing. Two out of ten.” 

Not all their videos are negative though, in another video they review the chicken and waffles, and they say “It’s a lot better, like at least five times better.” “It’s genuine chicken, almost makes me want to cry, never gotten such real food before. Seven and a half out of ten.” 

The account still holds over five hundred followers but has been largely abandoned since the hosts graduated. 

Last week, a brand new salad bar was opened in the East Campus cafeteria, where you can grab a small or large to-go box and fill it with whatever you’d like. So far, not many students have been seen using the salad bar. 

However, the panini bar always has a line across the cafeteria during all lunch periods. Students and teachers alike race to lunch to be first in line for their fresh panini, wrap, or grilled cheese. With many bread, dressing, meat, cheese, and vegetable options, there is something for everyone to like here, which is probably why there is a continuous line. 

There is also the snack bar, where students with a sweet tooth can quickly grab a pretzel, slice of pizza, candy, and more. 

The special each day is usually average; some days are better than others, but still a popular option for many students. A popular item here is the curly fries. The portions are pretty small, though. Unfortunately, this is the only option provided for students with a lunch waiver. 

The breakfast served is a great option for students who ran out the door late or just prefer some fresh breakfast. They serve donuts, tater tots, breakfast sandwiches, bagels, and more. The breakfast food does run out quickly though, so it is not always a reliable meal. 

The cherry on top is that all the lunch ladies/men are extremely kind to all students. They are always smiling and have a positive attitude. For some students, seeing their favorite lunch lady makes their day. Even the ladies at the crowded panini bar, who are faced with a line all day, take the time to tell you to have a great day and enjoy your lunch. They create a great atmosphere for everyone getting lunch at school. 

Overall, our lunch is arguably better than compared to surrounding schools. Some schools only offer one option each day. But Lockport has vegetarian, vegan, and other allergy/dietary options. 

It’s not all perfect, however, as the extremely long lines leave many students with barely any time to eat their food. This is a big issue caused by the panini line and the special lines. Since the panini line only has one sandwich maker, a good way to make sure all students have enough time to eat would be by adding another panini station or putting an additional worker on the station to help make the sandwiches and wraps. 

Also, since switching to sixth-period lunch this semester (the last lunch period of the day), there have been many occasions where there are extremely limited options for food. For example, the panini line will only have one type of meat left, or the snack bar will have no pretzels (or be closed entirely), one type of pizza is left, and things like that.

This is frustrating because sixth-period lunch already has to wait until the second to last period to eat lunch, only to be met with the few leftovers of food from throughout the day. For all lunch periods to have fair options, more portioning needs to be executed, otherwise, after the first few lunch periods, the popular options are gone. 

The last thing we are all thinking of is the prices. It is no lie that our prices are pretty high. The price of the large salad at the new salad bar is over seven dollars, and a  cheeseburger with fries is over five dollars. Meaning it is usually cheaper to get the same thing from a local fast-food restaurant than at school. Administration needs to address the cost issue so all kids are able to afford a full meal at lunch. 

So, knowing all the pros and cons, what is your opinion on Lockport school lunch?