Throngs of students and teachers enjoy traveling off campus for lunch. Whether they drive or walk, kids tend to have places around the campus that they like to frequently go to. Even teachers enjoy traveling off campus to grab lunch. The question is: where do they like to go and why?
There are many factors that may contribute to making a restaurant the “it” spot. Some of these factors include the location, convenience, cost, customer service, or just the overall quality of food.
“In Empire, there’s an American Market that sells Indian food and it’s actually really good,” said Kathryn Hillenhagen, Marshfield High School English teacher. “It’s great for when I don’t have time to cook, I can just pick it up and it’s hot and ready.”
For many, going out to eat is a way to get food quickly and easily without the hassle of meal planning and preparation. Meal planning is very time consuming, so for teachers and students who have busy schedules, fast food may be their quickest option.
“For me, going off campus at lunch was a little bit of freedom during those years when you’re learning how to be an adult,” Hillenhagen said. “You’ve got to figure out the timing and how you’re gonna get there and what you’re gonna do. I think it’s important to give kids that freedom because it comes along with the responsibility of it too.”
Around the campus at Marshfield, all of the restaurant options within walking distance are either fast food or the deli’s at markets. Students almost always tend to choose the quickest option possible with their limited 37 minute lunch in order to make it back to their 5th period class on time. For those that walk, it can be even more of a time crunch to get back to campus.
“I have been going off campus recently to places like McKay’s and Dollar Tree, but it’s very exhausting,” MHS freshman Anani Chavez said.
Though the idea of having lunch off campus may seem tempting or like the better option, lots of students take for granted the free lunch the cafeteria offers.
“If I had a choice, I’d love to see students stay on campus and eat on campus because it’s free food and it doesn’t cost you anything,” said principal Elias Ashton. “If you’re going off campus you’re paying for food, and most likely you’re not getting the best quality of food because you’re going to places like McDonald’s, and Taco Bell.”
Going out to eat fast food during lunch may be quick, but tends to also be expensive for parents to fund their children each day. Although some students have jobs and can pay for themselves, they tend to pay for their friends who want to tag along with them. This cycle of going out to eat for lunch tends to be costly and difficult for some students to keep up with.
“I like City Subs because of their delicious bread,” said science teacher Jennifer ViksneHill. “I really like the woman who owns the place and I like to shop local, so City Subs is one of my favorites.”
So why don’t students just eat the free food provided in the cafeteria here at school? It is a much faster, cost effective way to eat lunch but lots of students opt to travel and spend their money.
“I think that our school lunches are not interesting and not enough for a lot of kids,” said ViksneHill. “I don’t think that you’re getting the vegetables that you need, you’re not getting the fruit that you need, and I certainly think that they are not very appetizing which is on no fault of the kitchen staff. It just is what it is for American lunches.”
The United States Department of Agriculture has many guidelines and nutrition standards for public school lunches. Even with these guidelines, a significant amount of meat consumed by children in school cafeterias have failed to meet the quality standards of most fast-food outlets across America, which is typically considered to be the worst of the worst.
“The school cafeteria may not have many options that the students like,” said Chavez. “So that’s why people prefer to go off campus, because there is better options.”
Many students who don’t have cars prefer to walk and go off campus for lunch because the overall quality of fast food tends to be better. According to some freshmen, the best options for off-campus dining are Dollar Tree, Dutch Bros, Little Caesars, Dairy Queen, and Wendy’s. The businesses around campus also benefit from the support of students who frequent and spend money there. Off campus travel for lunch time is generally a good thing for the community. It allows students to give back to some of the sponsors that support Marshfield High School.
“It’s probably good for some businesses around town and for kids to get out and have a change of scenery, which is always a good thing,” said Hillenhagen.