Long Lasting Lengthy Lunch Lines
By Kristy Yam
Ever since the start of the year, RCHK Secondary students have been repeatedly complaining about lunch lines being too long and have been questioning Sodexo, the food provider, about potential solutions.
“I wonder why we can’t do something like have the Year 7s continue to leave 10 minutes early,” said Gareth Jones, a Year 7 teacher, “And maybe the Year 8s could leave 5 minutes early and that could have a permanent impact,” the English teacher remarked.
Gareth Jones, a Year 7 English teacher during an interview.
Through an interview with Sodexo last month, they revealed that on average, the maximum time a student has to wait for their lunch is 7 minutes and that their workers serve food in about 30 seconds. “I think the school placed the food location areas very well in terms of having sections and different areas,” an unnamed member of Sodexo mentioned. “On average, we are talking about 7 minutes, so it’s not a long wait.”
Year 7s in particular have been complaining about the lines the most ever since they lost the privilege to leave 10 minutes early. “I think the lines are a bit too long,” Hailey How, a Year 7 student said, “since by the time you get there, there’s always no more food left because everyone else is lining up,” she said. Her experiences truly highlight the fact that the lunch routines differ significantly between primary and secondary.
Although the ever-lasting lines at lunch still seem like a big problem to the school community, students, teachers, and staff alike have also been brainstorming ways to solve this problem. “I think the school can maybe split the line into 2 lines because one is taking too long,” Shino Lee, another Year 7 student suggested, “and because of this, students might not have enough time to finish their food.”
Hailey How, a Year 7 student during an interview at RCHK.
In addition to long waits, many students are also concerned about the increasing cost of meals, although there are many different perspectives regarding this issue. Hailey How, a student that has been in the school ever since Year 1 factually stated, “I don’t think that it is really worth the price, as one meal is 34 dollars and there’s not much food in one meal.”
On the other hand, some may think otherwise. “I think the prices are quite okay,” Mr Jones noted, “as I always compare the price in the cafeteria with the prices you would pay outside,” he commented. “For example, I would like to have a large latte and it costs 28 dollars, whereas if I had that at Starbucks it would cost like 45 or something like that.” His perspective proves that he is also considering the prices compared to the outside world and current economy instead of only judging off the portion size.
Sodexo managers, director, and nutritionist during an interview at RCHK.
Despite the continuous frustration coming from students and teachers over the lunch lines, Sodexo,
one of Hong Kong’s major food caterers, seems indifferent to these concerns. While students feel that these lines significantly impact their day-to-day life, their ability to enjoy their lunch break, and even hinder their ability to focus on learning, their voices remain silently unheard and unacknowledged by the catering group. The disconnect between student complaints and Sodexo’s lack of acknowledgement and engagement displays an even bigger issue of minimal student influence in decisions made that have affected their school life, and suggests a need for better collaboration and communication between the school community and Sodexo.