Every single day, the Monte Vista student body piles into the Commons for their free lunch. If you ask if the food is good, most students would probably answer along the lines of “meh” or “depends on the day.”

     Although the school’s free and nutritional lunches have seen recent improvements and provide many benefits to students, especially those who cannot afford to buy or bring lunch, there is room for improvement. 

     Pre-COVID-19, the commons included Subway Sandwiches and a juice bar as lunch options for students who wanted to buy them. So why can’t we bring them back? I mean, what’s the harm in re-opening the Subway sandwich stand and juice bar, or even opening a new chain like Panda Express or Chipotle in the cafeteria? By giving students the option to purchase food from popular restaurants on campus, we would not only have a student body happy with their daily meals, but we could even be raising money for the school in the process, similar to the fundraisers already held at our local Chipotle restaurant in Downtown Danville. 

     Not all students would have to buy lunch, some can continue receiving the free lunches provided by the school (or bring their own); however, students should have the option to eat what food they please.

     Rather than students breaking the rules by leaving campus during lunch to buy food, or ordering DoorDash and bringing potential creeps on campus, they could just buy food on campus. Even if we couldn’t bring restaurants to campus, why not allow food trucks to come onto campus? As many students used to walk to Oak Hill Park to get food from the taco trucks, we could bring these trucks to campus. This would eliminate the problem of students walking off-campus for food, riding the school of liability, and legal problems from students leaving, which they will do no matter how many rules and regulations are put in place. 

     Including food chains and trucks as on-campus lunch options would benefit both students and school staff. Students would save money, as they won’t have to spend so much on DoorDash fees and lost gas from driving off campus as quickly as possible to make it back in time for their next class. The MV staff would also benefit as they would know that less students are wandering off-campus for better food options, as the better food options would simply be on-campus.