Riordan’s cafeteria has introduced several new changes this year.
Firstly, school lunch prices have risen, with hot meals going from $8.75 last year to $9.50 this year. This means that if one were to buy school lunches for all 5 days, that would amount to $47.50 a week.
The price increase is a source of discontent for some.
“You can get a burger down the street for the same quality, but cheaper,” asserted Brandon Saavedra ’24.
Angela Ferreira, the general manager of the Epicurean Group at Archbishop Riordan, stated that the price increase was warranted.
“We revisited the pricing earlier this year, 2023, and made an adjustment to reflect the inflation increase of 6 percent, along with labor increases that we experienced in the San Francisco area.”
Ferreira also added that measures were taken to minimize the price increase.
“The café over the last three years has had a minimal increase of prices by 75 cents. Pricing increases were selected and not across the board. We continued providing the bundle packages (entrée, water, and cookie) but also made it available as a ‘a la carte’ option.”
Additionally, smoke seems to build up in the cafeteria during lunch hours. Nico Navarro ’24 stated, “I notice it, but I don’t mind it too much.”
On the contrary, Izabella Chan ’24 stated, “It starts off small, but gradually gets worse over time, then it lingers.”
A cafeteria worker stated, “The smoke is caused when student workers put too much cheese on the pizza then put it in the oven.”
Another point of contention is the requirement of the digital Minga student ID to pay for lunch meals. In earlier years, students would have to type in the last four digits of their Student ID number.
Now, students are mandated to scan their ID on the Minga app in order to check out. This caused annoyance, since the Minga app can be slow to load at times and getting the angle right to scan the ID was an adjustment for many.
“It’s annoying, so I just use my physical ID,” said Andrew Romanenko ’24.
In the Family Newsletter, dated May 24, the administration announced that the Epicurean Group will no longer provide meals in the cafeteria.
“CulinArt Group is excited to join the Riordan community as your new dining services partner,” it reads.
The message continues, “With a fresh approach to food and hospitality, and a plan to reimagine the student dining experience, CulinArt will introduce a variety of new culinary programs, new and/or redesigned outlets, and on-trend, nutritious and delicious menus that students crave.”
In addition, “he team will be working on refurbishments, menus and event planning all summer long . . .”
