During this senior’s time at Trinity, lunch has undergone a number of changes that many may not have noticed but are an important part of most everyone’s day.

The changes include food variety, prices and eating habits. The most notable change has been the school’s menu.  

Senior Jacob Schneider said, “I have noticed some foods that have been gone from the menu, such as corn dogs, spaghetti and wings. I also have noticed some foods that have been added, as well as desserts like cakes, Reese’s Pieces, and other candy bars. There was that one year when soda was banned, but they’re back now. Even the soda machine is back.”

Senior Travis Zaremba said, “The variety in the pizza line, mostly the bread sticks, has changed. I also haven’t seen the corn dogs in a while. They were really good. The corn dogs were there so you don’t have to get a burger every day. We have gotten better options for drinks this year, though.”

Senior Miles McKinney, who supported the soda ban, said, “It didn’t really affect me that much. I don’t drink soda at all. It was a good idea because it kept people healthier. I do miss the Powerade, though; that was my favorite drink. Other than that, it’s fine. The changes are a good part of our diet.”

The kitchen staff also commented about the food variety.

Executive Chef Jeremy Williamson said, “Within the last year, the thing that I have noticed is that there are a lot more healthier options, vegetarian options. I don’t want to exclude them. There could be more variety, but more healthier ones. We did lose the Powerades and the vitamin water.”

Williamson, who has been with Trinity since March 2016, said he comes in every day at 5:30 a.m. and leaves at 3:30 p.m. In addition to having worked at St. Francis, Williamson worked at the Galt House, where he cooked for well-known figures such as President Bush, Bobby Flay and the New England Patriots.

Head Chef Mark DeBonis explained that Trinity students in past years tended to just get the same fast food every day, which caused some items to be taken off the menu, such as wings and corn dogs, among others.

This year, on the other hand, students seem to go for the “finer foods” instead of fast food, according to DeBonis. He said, “The boys have come to the entrée line more often because probably their moms started to cook more ‘peas’ for them. If the parents feed the boys fast food, they would want to eat fast food here, but if they cook them the finer foods, they would want the finer foods.”

Another change in the lunch room, as just about everywhere, is the prices. Zaremba has noticed a slight increase over the years.   He said, “The food prices have gone up. I’ve been spending more money on food, and now I have to watch what I buy. It’s made buying lunch challenging. I have to look at the cheapest prices.”

Why do prices go up?  DeBonis said, “It goes up a nickel because the food and ingredients go up. When the food market goes up, our prices go up with it. We always batch cook, which means that when something runs out, we cook it from scratch. We don’t simply just cook for three lunches.”

Ms. Elfie Combs, one of the cashiers, commented on the prices: “Well, I’ve been here for 20 years.  It’s changed immensely. The prices have gone from $4.50 to $8.00, because the kids want two of everything. Also, the kids could just get a fountain, which is a dollar, but they want those bottles, which are much more expensive. It’s all about choices. People can spend a lot in one day. The kids really need to budget themselves.”