While students appreciate the growing variety of options at Servi Express, there are concerns discussed about nutrition, repetition, and food quality among students.

As Servi Express continues to expand its menu and offer more variety, students are weighing if they are really eating what they want. While many appreciate the improvements and new options, there are calls for healthier choices and larger protein portions. Students are engaging in an ongoing conversation about how well cafeteria meals meet their needs, and what changes could make school lunches both tastier and more balanced.

While many students appreciate the variety of meals offered in the cafeteria, some have concerns about the frequent availability of fried foods. They believe that including more healthy alternatives on certain days could promote better eating habits.

“One thing I would change is, like, removing some of the fried options, at least, like, some days a week so students, like, have the only option is to eat healthy some days in order to, like, reduce the amount of fried foods that students consume,” Isabel Mejía, TCS senior, said.

Students have noticed improvements in the menu over time. New additions and a broader range of choices have made the lunch experience more enjoyable for many.

“Some improvements I have noticed in Servi Express are that they have added more variety to the menu, like twisters, which is like fried chicken like, with a cup, like frisnacks from Frisby. Also, the bowl has been a new addition to the menu and is very popular,” Mejía said.

When it comes to nutrition, both school-provided and home-packed lunches meet the dietary needs of students. They acknowledge the importance of balance for their meals.

“I think in nutrition, both the school lunch and the lunch I brought from home have all the components of a nutritious meal. It has meat, carbs, and salads,” Mejia said.

Meanwhile, students prefer bringing lunch from home, pointing out that they have better control over ingredients and nutrition. They feel that school meals often depend too much on fast food.

“I think bringing lunch from home is a lot healthier because at school, many of the foods are fast food, and the healthy options that the school offers are very limited, so I do not think I can explore the healthy food options compared to school,” Juliana Marín, senior, said.

When asked what changes they would make to the menu, students emphasized the need for more balanced, customizable meals, with several options of protein, carbohydrates, and vegetables that allow for mixing these different components.

“If I could create a menu for the school, I would include more balanced options and a type of dish that includes many carbohydrate options, protein options, and salad options that could all be mixed in one dish, rather than just a bowl, a salad or just eating pasta,” Marín said.

Although students who bring lunch from home enjoy the taste of Servi Express meals, some question whether the price matches the quality and nutritional value.

“I have tried it before, and I think it is very delicious. I think that the quality of the food is not worth the price and that it is not very healthy,” Marín said.

The variety offered is appreciated, especially for students who alternate between eating at home and at school. They feel Servi Express does a decent job of satisfying different taste preferences.

“I think Servi Express offers enough variety for students like me, who eat both at home and for school lunches, because there are maybe fast food or other healthier options,” Juanita Lopez, senior, said.

Even though healthy meals are available, many students still feel that meals prepared at home are more nutritious overall, as they give them more control over ingredients and portion sizes.

“I do think Serviexpress provides enough healthy options, but I believe I can eat way better, have way more nutrition when I bring lunch from home,” Lopez said.

Beyond nutrition, students also suggested that personal touches could improve the lunch experience. Offering unique items that are not easily prepared at home can enhance the cafeteria’s appeal.

“An improvement may be implementing specific salsas like I can’t buy or do at my own home, so I know that the quality or the things that they include in the school menu are more personalized,” Lopez said.

Some students who eat lunch from the school every day feel that while there are many options to pick from, the ingredients often remain the same, which leads to repetitive flavors with different presentations.

“I think there is enough variety of options, like Mexican, salad, asado, but the meals feel very repetitive because they use the same ingredients, just that they are presented in different forms. So, for example, they use the same protein for everything, the same vegetables, like there’s no change in flavors when you eat a burrito or a salad; it just tastes the same, just that the burrito is presented with a tortilla and the salad is in a bowl,” Daniela Zapata, senior, said.

Despite these critiques, students understand the logistical challenges of preparing meals for large groups. They acknowledge that Servi Express still manages to provide a balance of healthy and convenient options.

“I believe that Servi Express provides enough healthy food options, especially counting on the fact that there’s a lot, a very large number of students, and it’s very difficult to produce healthy meals in large quantities in comparison to just frying fries, which is very easy to do,” Zapata said.

Another area students pointed out is portion control, especially when it comes to protein. Some meals, especially healthy ones, often have too many vegetables and not enough protein.

“If I had to make one significant change to Servi Express it would be to, like, enlarging the protein portions for things like the salad and the bowls, because I feel like sometimes, when we order those options, they give like a very high volume of vegetables, which is very good, but they sometimes forget that the protein is the most important aspect of the food,” Zapata said.

On the other hand, some believe the menu reflects student preferences very well. While it may not compare to a restaurant, the food quality is excellent.

“I think the menu does reflect what the students want to eat. Although obviously, if the students could choose between ServiExpress or a restaurant, I believe the students would choose a restaurant. But the food generally is very good,” Susana Pertuz, senior, said.

Still, students wish menu favorites were offered more frequently. Items like hamburgers and Frisnacks have become popular and very requested.

“I wish they served more often things like hamburgers or the frisnacks, which are a new thing in ServiExpress,” Pertuz said.

While the menu balances healthy and unhealthy choices, some students remain skeptical about the real nutritional value, especially due to how the food is prepared, as past negative experiences with certain items have also left a lasting impression.

“I think that Servi Express provides a mix of healthy and unhealthy options, although the proteins are unhealthy because they are made with a lot of oil, and they offer a lot of carbohydrates, which makes them less healthy. And I believe that food that is healthy, which is the bowls or the salads, for me, personally, is not an option because I have had some experiences that I do not like with these foods. For example, in the bowl, I once found a rock in the rice, and in the salads, in 7th grade, I found a worm,” Pertuz said.