Over the years, food standards have changed, and LT has worked hard to create a space for students to find nutritional and affordable meals. Now that LT has hired a new cafeteria provider, it’s important to take notice of how the school has improved the quality of food services in recent years.

Prior to the new food provider Quest taking over the operation, the district had used Sodexo/Marriott since at least 1996, Director of Business Services Brian Stachacz said. The contract was originally with Marriott Food Service, which was acquired by Sodexo Food Service in 1997.

“Providing nourishment throughout the day is an important part of the student experience because, unless students are fed and able to get nutrition throughout the day, it’s going to be really difficult to learn and engage in the school process like we want them to,” Superintendent Brian Waterman said. “I think it’s a really important part of any comprehensive high school to make sure that students have access to affordable nutrition and meals.”

The NC cafeteria has evolved over the last few decades, even looking now compared to last year, Waterman said. The cafeteria now has more nutritious servings, such as the taco bar, the burrito bowl bar, the deli bar, and other additional items, to provide students with high-quality meals.

“In recent years, the school has opted to put the more nutritious meals in the prominent areas and put the pizza and the burgers on the outer side of the lunchroom,” Waterman said. “It may be a subtle difference, but it’s something that can impact student choices.”

In 2014-2015, the district completely renovated the NC cafeteria. The district is currently building a new SC cafeteria, to be ready this fall. In the 2024-2025 school year, the cafeteria food was made at NC and transported to SC to be served for the underclassmen.

“We have always provided healthy lunch options for students and will continue to do so under Quest Food Services,” Waterman said. “As part of their responsibility, the food service provider reviews nutritional standards and makes changes to the food options available for students as needed.”

Quest, in collaboration with LT, will be reviewing the food options on an annual basis and determining which healthy options to offer, Waterman said. LT students will be part of that process as Quest will be holding student forums to obtain student feedback regarding the food served during lunch and breakfast.

“It is important for us to serve students a nutritious lunch so that they can achieve academic success in their daily classes without worrying about being hungry,” Stachacz said. “7:45 a.m. to 3:05 p.m. would be a long time for students to go without eating, potentially causing them to be less successful in the classroom.