MSJ Cafeteria Food Review: Pizza vs. Chicken Tenders

This past week, during D period, the cafeteria was packed, as usual. As the biggest lunch period, it had people stretching halfway down the cafeteria. And like most days, when I see people walking to their seats, the most popular food choices aren’t the Gael Special or the Chef’s Table special—but either pizza or chicken tenders. Having bought both options a few times, I can say they aren’t very good.

To find out if I’m the only one who thinks that way, I sought out a daily buyer, Tommy Wallace. After asking him his thoughts on the pizza, here’s what he had to say: “It’s not good. I don’t know why I get it so much. It’s a very bad pizza, in my opinion…I just think it’s a little expensive.”

Two pieces of fried chicken tenders on a white paper tray, placed on a gray cafeteria table. — MSJ pizza ($2.95)

A slice of pizza on a paper plate, topped with melted cheese and tomato sauce, served in a cafeteria setting. — MSJ pizza ($2.95)

Since Tommy buys lunch every day, I asked why he keeps choosing the pizza. He explained that he “doesn’t like the other options they offer.”

To dive deeper into MSJ’s lunch food, I decided to compare its prices to those of other private high schools. I was honestly surprised by what I found: the average private school lunch costs around $10, sometimes even more, according to the School Nutrition Association’s official survey of paid meal prices for the 2024–25 school year. This is compared to our specials, which are usually between $7 and $8.

A student in a school cafeteria takes a bite of a slice of pizza while sitting at a table, with other students in the background. — Tommy Wallace eating the pizza

Now that we’ve learned about the lunch food from an active MSJ student and found that MSJ’s prices are comparable to those of most other private schools, let’s hear from a past student. A 2007 graduate and current teacher at the school, Mr. Felts offers a past and present perspective, comparing the differences between the lunch food of 2025 and that of the early 2000s.

I started off asking about the Stromboli, being a well-known meal at MSJ. “They were awesome,” he said, adding that the Stromboli that we have now is “definitely different than it was before.” After hearing this, I expected a similar outcome when asked about other foods, but I was surprised to hear something different. Saying that “the specials that they have now, they didn’t have anything like that when I was here.”

There were some other unique qualities back then, like a sandwich bar, but for the most part, the food has had an upgrade. Additionally, what makes the food different in these ways might be the switch to a contracted company. “Everything used to be in-house…right now we have a contracted company that does all of our food services.” This was something I hadn’t known, nonetheless even thought of. The current company, CulinArt, is relatively recent, as there have been multiple different companies throughout the past 6 years.

MSJ food contractor

In conclusion, the food that we have at MSJ, when looking at the big picture, has improved from what it used to be and is sitting at the average price of other private schools. Yes, the food may not be on par with restaurants, but you can at least know that you’ll receive above-average food for a school cafeteria.