Outside the snack bar at San Benito High School, a mass of
students lined up
– cash in hand – to buy their lunches : $2.50 for a meal of a
burrito, fruit and beverage.
Hollister – Outside the snack bar at San Benito High School, a mass of students lined up – cash in hand – to buy their lunches : $2.50 for a meal of a burrito, fruit and beverage.
But despite the crowd, the number of students paying cash for lunch has decreased this year, a trend stemming from a hike in meal prices, said Jim Koenig, the district’s director of finance and operations.
“This has been a big issue with the students,” Koenig said.
To address decreasing profits from the cafeteria, San Benito High School District raised the cost of food about 20 percent starting in August.
As the number of food items the high school is selling for cash has decreased, the overall income is about equal with last year, Koenig said. Despite the current trend, Koenig said he is hoping students will become accustomed to the new prices and start buying again.
In order to encourage that, the school has begun offering more of a variety and selling in new places. Koenig said he believes this is part of the reason behind a more than 50 percent increase in students buying reimbursable meals.
During Wednesday’s lunch hour, freshman Vanessa Espericueta, 14, stood in line waiting to buy her pizza and Gatorade. Although she never got to pay the lower prices, she said she believes the new costs are unfair. Espericueta said her parents give her $20 each week for her lunch and snacks.
“I’ve heard people talking about (the price),” she said. “It’s ridiculous, ’cause it’s too high.”
Espericueta is not alone in her frustration at the cost.
Koenig has heard many complaints from students about the costs, but he said the price hike was necessary.
“We looked at prices because the cafeteria needs to cover its expenses,” Koenig said. “We looked at what we charge and we determined that our products were underpriced.”
The school’s lunch prices were compared with neighboring high schools and districts, and its officials realized San Benito charged some of the lowest amounts for their food services.
The result, however, was not as successful as district administrators had hoped. In protest of the costs, fewer kids were paying cash for the food.
“We have encountered the law of supply and demand – as we raise the price, the demand goes down,” Koenig said.
In previous years, students on free or reduced lunch plans could buy their meals only from the school cafeteria, which often got crowded. Starting this year, students can get their reimbursable meals at any of the five snack bars around campus.
Sophomore Luis Acevedo, 15, said although he eats on campus every day because he gets free lunch, he would like more of a variety or healthier options. Most days he opts for a sandwich or salad.
“It’s usually all the same things and a lot of times it’s not really healthy. They need more fresh food,” Acevedo said.
Koenig said the school has tried to expand its options. The school is now selling Subway sandwiches and Taco Bell, and has experimented with making its own burritos. He said he’s hoping this will help make the cafeteria sales more profitable.
“We’re going to continue to experiment with the menu and continue to experiment with locations,” he said.
