Students who have complained about pizza shortages halfway through lunch are getting good news — the issue is gradually being fixed. Through the cafeteria’s variety of meal options, the staff works hard to ensure everyone has something to eat during lunch with the help of individual student requests.
“At the beginning of the school year, I’d definitely say they had a shorter pizza supply and ran out of pizza a lot,” senior Stephanie Sun said. “Now, it’s getting a little bit better.”
Mountain View-Los Altos Food Service Coordinator Bryan Barnhardt gave some insight into this and gives alternatives.
“During the lunch rush (the first 15 minutes of lunch service) we serve most of the students that will be served,” Barnhardt said. “So it isn’t strange for most of the food we prepared to have been served as well—but we do not run out of food. We have already increased the amount of pizza.”
At the beginning of the year, there is usually a discrepancy between the amount of pizza demanded and supplied. This issue is addressed by MVLA Food Service through feedback relayed by parent volunteers, and towards the end of the year, there is often a surplus of pizza.
“The situation is usually rectified as the year progresses, so we don’t notice as much of a shortfall,” pizza volunteer Elaine Wang said.
However, pizza is only one of a variety of meals the MVLA School District offers students.
“We also provide a lot of other choices, and we encourage students to branch out a little and try new things,” Barnhardt said.
“If pizza runs out, I usually just go to the cafeteria and get whatever’s there,” Stephanie said. “I ask the staff — who are always really nice — if they have any leftovers, and they always have peanut butter sandwiches left.”
These other choices come from the cafeteria, which cycles through a variety of specialty meal options called a “menu chain” for every week, according to Food Service Worker II Chef Thuy Tran. Besides the specialty meals, the cafeteria always offers vegetarian alternatives, salads, and burgers.
“Inclusive offerings come from a variety of choices, so we feel that we are serving students best when we offer that variety,” Barnhardt said.
MVLA Food Service’s goal is to offer appealing menu items to students while also adhering to the standards set for their program by the National School Lunch Program, according to Barnhardt.
“We also want to be cognizant of the costs we accrue and the waste we generate because we must responsibly manage both taxpayer funds and food waste,” Barnhardt said.
Each day, the cafeteria staff estimates the approximate number of students that will get cafeteria food. If there is a slight shortage of lunch, it is because of a small underestimate. When there are remaining lunches, however, they are available to staff, and any of those meals left over are donated to the Los Altos Community Center or discarded.
For students with dietary restrictions such as allergies, students are encouraged to email Barnhardt a week prior at [email protected] with these concerns, so he can set up a personalized plan — such as a one-time or daily special dish — and relay the request to Tran.
“Last year, one student came in every day, so I made the food for her every day,” Tran said.
“I think that’s really nice of the staff, to go above and beyond to specifically meet one student’s dietary needs,” Stephanie said.
Although she is always happy to help, Tran stresses the importance of picking up requested meals. When students don’t pick up their requested meals, food is wasted.
“I can make special meals, but sometimes they say they come in, but they don’t show up,” Tran said. “If they don’t come in, we have to throw it away. I don’t want to waste a lot of time and food on that.”
Ultimately, Tran says no student should ever go hungry during lunch.
