With fruits, vegetables, grains, protein and milk, Cafeteria Director Laura Scott has to balance student favorites with nutritional content. With this in mind, Scott is beginning to question if the Wednesday favorite Chick-fil-a is right for students.
While health is one consideration, the cost is another.
“I hate to add that on to the students because lunch is sometimes, especially with the boys, expensive,” Scott said. “When they’re getting a sandwich meal, a Powerade and a Fairlife, and now their lunch is almost 20 bucks.”
Another reason Scott is considering putting an end to Chick-fil-a day is the USDA calling for a lower maximum daily value of sodium for teens. Sodium levels in Oklahoma school lunches are decreasing to meet this new federal standard, with a 15% reduction required by July 1, 2027.
“I take out my Chick-fil-a and how much sodium is in it, and everything for that lunch, and then I work around that for the rest of the week,” Scott said. “Chick-fil-a has a lot of sodium in it, and so we have a daily average sodium level that we need to keep for our lunches.”
Freshman Marie Maxey believes that there will be a change in how often students bring packed lunches.
“The only reason people don’t bring their lunch is because of Chick-fil-a,” Maxey said. “Literally every other day people bring their own lunch.”
Maxey is not the only student who thinks that people will start bringing their lunches more. Sophomore Jude Harroz has not only noticed a change in how often students have Chick-fil-a, but he claims the actual sandwiches are different.
“They have gotten a lot more soggy recently,” Harroz said. “I just buy one now, even though I used to buy two, but now they’re not that good anymore. I know some of my friends are bringing their lunches now.”
Harroz would like to see other meals in the cafeteria more often as a replacement for Chick-fil-a.
“I like the burritos and taco days, those are pretty good,” Harroz said. “I think those would be good on Wednesdays too.”
Although how often students will be served Chick-fil-a is still up in the air, Scott will do her best to keep it as long as possible.
“I will keep it as long as I can, and when I can’t make the numbers work anymore, then I won’t be able to,” Scott said.
Giving underclassmen an off campus experience while also keeping upperclassmen on campus for lunch is a win-win for Scott.
“I try to keep Chick-fil-a and pizza here, so that way everyone can have that off campus experience,” Scott said. “I also like to do it because I want juniors and seniors to stay here. It’s safer when they’re here.”
It is also important to Scott to maintain an attitude that can make lunch better for everyone.
“You know, most of these kids are very polite and say thank you,” Scott said. “I know everyone’s hungry, and I know you only have a certain amount of time to eat, and I get that.”
It is Scott’s intent to keep Chick-fil-a on campus for as long as it can remain within a healthy weekly sodium intake for students.
