Many students and teachers at McQuaid Jesuit have expressed their concern about how long it takes to get through the cafeteria lunch lines. There are several reasons why the lines can be long, which results in having less time to eat.

McQuaid has three lunch periods. First and third lunch periods are 25 minutes long, while second lunch is 20 minutes.

The cafeteria has only three registers, which puts a significant deficit in students’ time to eat lunch.

Some students feel they do not have enough time to finish their food. Eighth grader Ben Jackle says that it often takes him 8 to 10 minutes to get through the line.

“I have, like no time to finish [my lunch],” Jackle said.

Other students also expressed their disappointment about having little time to finish their food after sitting down.

Students also agree that Parkhurst makes high quality food, which may contribute to the length of time it takes students to get their food, especially when considering that roughly 600 students, faculty, and staff are served each day.

Junior Colin Forkey identified another factor contributing to the long wait.

“A lot of people try to cut, so if people just stop cutting, usually that would make it go faster,” Forkey said.

Students also feel rushed to eat.  For example, Forkey noted that he does not feel rushed every time, but in the second lunch, it feels rushed.

Teachers have also expressed mixed feelings about the lunch line. The lines do not affect them as much as they can sometimes get lunch during a planning period.

“Because I’m a teacher, I have times that are more free than the students. So like, today, I went and I got my lunch at 12:20 where there was nobody in line,” Mr. Schnittman said.

Several students suggested how the situation could be improved.

“Probably by making more [kiosks],” junior Quinn Smith said.

When students do not have time to eat, it can lead to food waste and other problems.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a 30-minute lunch period is recommended because a longer lunch period helps with more food consumption, less plate waste, and more consumption of fruits, vegetables, lunch entrees, and milk.

Parkhurst Dining is aware of this situation and understands that the lunch lines are an issue for students.

However, Parkhurst believes that the quality does not affect the lines. Parkhurst Dining Director Ms. Rachel Campopiano did note that students sometimes wait at the Made to Order station with only five minutes remaining in lunch.  However, overall, she does not feel that food quality affects the check-out lines.

Students can always select faster, grab-and-go items when lunch time is running out.

According to Ms. Campopiano, the way to reduce the lunch lines is relatively straightforward.

“A fourth point of sale could be added, more grab and go items could be offered, we could eliminate the “Made to Order” station, but that’s not something we would want to do at this point. The station is part of the experience in the cafeteria and hasn’t slowed the lines down enough to rethink what we offer at lunch.”

According to Ms. Campopiano, the food is not the problem, but the carts are.  If McQuaid added another kiosk, then the lines would be faster.