With the new school year comes new changes to Riordan, with one major change being in the cafeteria.
In the midst of the swarms of people in the cafeteria during break or lunch, a new line system awaits the hungry students. But it seems to be more time consuming rather than practical.
In previous school years, the lunch line ran through the center of the cafeteria, with all three exits not being designated for leaving or entering the cafeteria.
But now, the two side doors and lunch lines that snake around the sides of the cafeteria are designated for entering the cafeteria, with the middle door and line being for students to exit out of the cafeteria.
The lines, according to fellow students, seem to be more of a disturbance rather than a positive addition to the cafeteria. Rhianna Mallory ’26 commented, “It takes longer to get inside especially because at the start of lunch nobody is using the exit to actually exit. It would make more sense to go back to how it was before without any door monitoring.”
Though the new designated doors and lines allow for an organized environment in the cafeteria, when it comes down to hungry students at the start of lunch, efficiency and speed seem to be the main priority.
In comparison to last year’s organization of the cafeteria, Mallory commented that “it takes a lot longer to actually get inside the cafe in comparison to before.”
The lines themselves funnel into the center of the front of the cafeteria, creating a packed mob of students trying to scramble to get their food or trying to escape the swarm to get to the checkout line.
The checkout line also seems to be a similar issue, with the packed food line creating a busy and crowded area.
Marcus Appleby ’26 said, “The biggest issue I find with the new system is trying to check out because the line is so congested, especially during break.”
But with this new organization of the lines, lunch line monitor, Daniel Saelee ’26, complimented that the lines are, “more controlled, less chaotic.”
Though the food line is most often packed and busy, new line system or not, the standing issue of hungry students flooding the cafeteria will remain a characteristic of Archbishop Riordan’s busy cafeteria.
