This audio feature highlights current student perspectives and follows previous reporting on cafeteria pricing and policy. Juliet Payton is a Sports Writer for the Wildcat Chronicle. The views expressed in this audio segment are those of the students interviewed and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Wildcat Chronicle staff or administration.
Prefer reading? A full transcript of the interview is below.
Juliet Payton (0:01)
Year after year at West Chicago High School, the food items in the lunchroom have changed. Some have advanced, while others decline. Along with the quality, the prices have also changed for many items. Today, we got the opinions on the school cafeteria from juniors Alfredo Rojas, James Thein, and Jaan Pietek.
Juliet Payton (0:23)
What is your opinion on the options given to you at the school in the cafeteria?
Alfredo Rojas (0:28)
The options are pretty good, but some of the stuff is getting quite expensive, especially compared to last year’s lunches, when cookies were like $1.75 and now they’re like $2.50, as well as the salads. They’re like $5.50 now.
James Thein (0:44)
I don’t like them because they don’t got a lot of options for me, because I’m allergic to chicken, so I can’t have that.
Juliet Payton
So if you could give some ideas for what they could give—
James Thein
Some ideas — they should bring in some, maybe some McDonald’s, some Wendy’s.
Juliet Payton
No, so not restaurants.
James Thein
Oh, not restaurants — like food options. If they put a margarita pizza, I’ll eat that every day.
Jaan Pietek (1:08)
Yeah, pizza’s too expensive. Wraps are too expensive — $4.25. But if you get double chicken, it’s like $6 something.
Juliet Payton
Do you buy stuff from the cafeteria? What do you normally buy?
Jaan Pietek
A wrap.
Juliet Payton
How would you compare it now from when you were a freshman?
Jaan Pietek
More expensive. More broke.
Juliet Payton
Would you compare the quality at all?
Jaan Pietek
Less chicken. There’s no more bacon anymore.
Juliet Payton
Do you wish they would bring that back?
Jaan Pietek
Yeah, that would make it more worth it, I guess. And too much lettuce.
Juliet Payton (1:53)
Is there anything that you wish they offer — not just food, like candy or sodas — anything in specific that you wish they had that they don’t? For me, they used to have Diet Coke, but now they barely ever have Diet Coke. Is there anything like that?
Alfredo Rojas (2:14)
Yeah, I would say bring back Coke Zero and Diet Coke, because I literally go wherever and order Diet Coke. It’s my go-to.
James Thein
Spicy Funyuns.
Jaan Pietek
Bring back the bacon.
Jaan Pietek
Chocolate fountain.
Jaan Pietek
Chocolate, yeah, chocolate fountain.
Juliet Payton
What would you dip in the fountain?
Jaan Pietek
Marshmallows.
Juliet Payton (2:53)
More cake? More ice cream types. What do you think about the prices of our ice cream and milkshakes?
James Thein
Nah, man. Everything’s expensive now.
Juliet Payton
What would you like the price to be?
James Thein
I would like it to be free, but that’s not an option.
Alfredo Rojas (3:11)
Realistically, like $3.50 for a milkshake. But if you ask for less ice and an extra scoop of ice cream, it bumps up the price by so much.
Juliet Payton (3:29)
Is there anything you think they should take away — like no one ever really eats it, or it’s really bad quality?
James Thein
The little slices of pizza. They look weird. The cheese actually looks weird — like the ones in the hot place, and you just take one slice.
Juliet Payton
Like the ones on those black plates that are hot, and they just lay all the slices of pizza?
James Thein
Yes. Those look nasty. But I have no other option because I have eighth period lunch, so I get the leftovers. Everyone gets all the good ones, so I’m left with all the cheese pizza. That’s the only thing I can have. I can’t have chicken stuff. I’m allergic to chicken, so I only have that option. And they don’t even be putting sauce — I’m eating straight bread. There’s cheeseburgers sometimes, but especially in eighth period lunch, there’s literally none left. Hardly ever any cheeseburgers. I have two options.
Jaan Pietek
Yo, give me a special meal plan.
Juliet Payton (4:42)
Do you ever wish for cheeseburgers? You guys could add lettuce and cheese and stuff like that — more options.
James Thein
Don’t just put lettuce — let us have a buffet-style build-your-own burger, where they have stations, like what you want — like a Chipotle-type thing.
Juliet Payton (5:01)
So now all three of you — tell us about your dream school cafeteria. But be realistic.
James Thein
Off-campus lunch.
Alfredo Rojas
More juice. There’s not enough juice at the school. I drink a lot of juice — pineapple juice, mango juice.
James Thein
Make it healthier. That food is chemical.
Juliet Payton (Closing)
Well, Wildcats, as we have heard, the student body feels pretty disappointed in our school cafeteria lately. But along with that, they bring ideas of ways that we can improve in the future.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai