Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Commons has had to regularly adapt their food service structure to keep up with student needs and health precautions. Prior to the pandemic, students were able to customize their salads and sandwiches with a selection of meats, cheeses, spreads, and vegetables. As school resumed fully in-person in the 2022–2023 school year, the Commons briefly brought back its pre-pandemic customizations. However, the reintroduction was short-lived, and the Commons ultimately returned to pre-made salads and sandwiches in an effort to prioritize faster service. 

This school year, the Commons has once again decided to provide customizations for salads and sandwiches. Brandon Worrell, Director of Dining Services, explained the reasoning behind the decision: “We just kind of got to the point where we’ve had a lot of people requesting it again. I think [the ability to customize orders] really sets Westridge apart from other schools and how they serve lunch and their ability to customize things. I think we’re more like a university than we are a Lower School, Middle School, and High School.”

The new change has been met with enthusiasm among many students. “I get a sandwich pretty much all the time so I was happy that now we have the opportunity to be able to decide what goes into our sandwich and have more variety. I understand why last year they took that away, but I think it’s cool that they brought it back,” Avani L. ’26 said.

However, the return of customizations has also raised some challenges. One result of the customizations is the line stretching out of the Commons and onto the Performing Art Center’s (PAC) patio for the main entree and longer lines for the salad and sandwich bars. The extra wait time, along with the need for COVID-19 precautions, was what prompted the temporary removal of customizations in the 2022–2023 school year. Students often find themselves waiting in line for nearly half of their 50-minute lunch period, which can cause them to miss out on lunch events and raises concerns in harsh weather conditions.

Nevertheless, many students believe the return of customizations outweighs extra time spent in line. “I love [the customizations]. I think it’s so much better, and I’m so glad it came back. Like everybody, I hate the long lines, but I do feel like it’s worth it,” Josie S.J. ’27 said.

Another drawback of the return of customized sandwiches and salads is crowdedness inside the Commons. The lines for hot entrees, salads, and sandwiches all meet inside of the Commons kitchen area. The increased popularity of the other food stations packs students together and creates a bottleneck effect. This cramped space makes it difficult to maneuver out of line to pay at the cash register. 

Shania W. ’27 believes that the cramped lines are an issue. “Everyone’s crammed in, and the lines for salads and sandwiches are longer this year, which is a little inconvenient. The [crowdedness] is creating a big problem to even get into the cafeteria—let’s say you just want a drink or fries,” she said.

The crowdedness isn’t only due to the recent addition of customizations; Westridge’s growing student population is also a contributing factor. Additionally, more students than ever are choosing to purchase from the Commons over bringing their own food.

Solutions to this crowdedness are difficult to implement. The obvious fix to the issue would be a larger dining service space, which at the moment is unrealistic. During the height of the pandemic, a staff or faculty member was positioned by the entrance of the Commons to let a few students in at a time as a health precaution, eliminating the bottleneck feature of the line. Now that there is less of a need for COVID-19 precautions, letting a few students into the Commons at a time would only make the wait longer.

In an attempt to combat the crowdedness, more space is being made within the area outside of the kitchen where students can purchase chips, drinks, and other snacks. Plastic utensils, which students previously grabbed while waiting in line to pay, have moved outside of the line area. Additionally, Worrell plans to install sliding refrigerator doors that will take up less space than the current swinging doors.

The longer wait time to get and then eat lunch is especially significant due to the new Upper School schedule, which was put in place at the beginning of the 2023–2024 school year. With the updated schedule, lunch is at 1:10 p.m. daily, whereas in prior years, lunch was at 12:30 p.m. on odd days and 1:10 p.m. on even days. The later lunch time across all rotation days leaves hungry students waiting 40 minutes longer than they previously did on odd days. They must wait even longer when they have to stand in line at the Commons.

Faith C. ’25 commented on the Upper School’s late lunch time. “My stomach starts rumbling in class, and it’s really awkward because I’m really hungry. But I can’t do anything about it because I can’t leave class until 1:10.” She also talked about the long lunch line: “It’s such a hassle, especially when I’m coming from Ceramics and I’m a little bit late. The line is already out of the door.”

However, the new schedule is helpful for the Commons staff. Having lunch at the same time every day has allowed them to more easily prepare for lunch. There is also now a 20-minute gap between Middle and Upper School lunch times, which enables the Commons to restock and cook extra food if they run out early in the day.

“For us, it’s so nice having the exact same schedule every single day. It’s the first time since I’ve been here that we’ve had that. It gives us a really nice structure and it gives us a nice work environment,” Worrell said.

In the future, the Commons is seeking to improve its sustainability efforts. A new drink machine has been installed with healthy, natural juices that no longer use syrup bases. Furthermore, they anticipate replacing the current plastic utensils with reusable metal ones and possibly implementing reusable cups.

Looking forward, the Commons hopes to focus on efficiency rather than solely the products they offer. Worrell said, “The biggest change from year to year is basically: ‘How are we working? Not necessarily what are we buying?… How are we being more efficient? How are we making sure we cook the right amount of food?’ So it’s just a fine line.”

For additional reading, Spyglass recommends: 

The Commons Prioritizes Faster Service Over Personal Orders

New School Year Brings Commons Back to Normalcy

Despite Challenging Changes to the Commons, More Meals Are Being Purchased Than Ever