The LHS Café has been shut down for the past 3 years, with no signs of reopening— until a sneak peak last year, where they introduced a possible new energy drink that would be served at the café.
Unfortunately, that was to no avail, when upon observation, little signs have been showed of the Café ever reopening due to staffing issues district wide. Principal Mr. Frank Meyer said, “We are having trouble finding qualified applicants.”
While he said there were no qualified applicants for the lunch positions, Mr. Meyer himself does not deal with the application process, or anything related to food service. He could not comment any specifics on the café project.
Our food director, Mr. Stuart Anstead confirmed the lack of quality applications, saying that across the district, there are 7 current open positions that would need to be filled before the café can responsibly open. Anstead mentioned the possibility of seniors helping out with the Café; however, he said, “Health and hygiene come first.”
Like any business in the food industry, the employees would need to be properly trained in food service and safety. The same would have to apply to the seniors that would be serving in the Café.
He added that recently the school purchased a state-of-the-art espresso machine. The coffee machine can make almost any type of coffee in about 30 seconds. It uses fresh coffee grounds from Tinker Coffee, and creams and sugars are also available to add to your experience.
The Café would also have cold brew coffee available from Java House, which uses a special cooling method to ensure the quality of the coffee. Slushies would also be provided, in multiple rotating flavors. Energy Drinks like the ones previously demoed last year would be available for purchase, as well as snacks and sodas.
Mr. Anstead also made mentions of a potential order ahead app system to prevent long lines and build ups of people in the Commons.
For the opening of the café, it must be in its most developed state, with trusted and knowledgeable staff, to even consider having seniors take part in the café. Mr. Anstead said, “I just want you guys to be happy,” he mentions, A lot of the time he sees students bring in Coffee, looking sad and unenthusiastic, especially in mornings, hoping that one day he could provide coffee and other treats to make student’s time at school more enjoyable and to serve them in more equitable manner.
