The Tiger Cafe has been a staple at PHS ever since it first opened in 2022. Popular with students looking for snacks, drinks, the Cafe is a highly visited marketplace for various food options. Still, students have expressed a growing number of concerns regarding drawbacks in prices and quality.
The popularity of the Cafe is explained by the quantity of different snacks and meals, provided by Pomptonian Food Services. Ranging from classic school lunches, such as burgers and wings, to more unique options like artisan sandwiches, the Cafe appeals to those looking for a quick meal during any time of the day.
When creating new items for the menu, the staff at the Cafe look to expand upon popular categories and see what works. This is in large part due to the work of Rosemarie Maldonado, a cook designated to create food for the Cafe, who works with students and sometimes recipes from social media to prepare foods that everyone will enjoy.
“We go off of the parameters that we have and see if anyone would want to try something else that's in the same category as the wings or the burger. [For example,] a chicken parm [on a] brioche bun [is] almost like a burger with chicken, and it's made like a pizza,” explained Micheal DeToro, a worker at the Tiger cafe. “We just choose random stuff.”
However, the large variety of options also leads to the sale of generally considered unhealthy food and drink options, such as energy drinks and other junk foods. This has resulted in numerous concerns over whether or not the Cafe is fulfilling its role as a school provider of food, especially since the switch to Pomptonian last year.
“I feel like the Tiger Cafe isn’t really healthy, even the salad,” said Ksenia Petukh ‘27. “Sometimes the food doesn’t feel ready or cooked … and you just want to eat normal healthy food.”
However, even though the Cafe contains various choices, including unhealthier options, cafeteria staff believe that it is up to students themselves whether or not to choose the healthy option.
“It's certainly not the fact that all the food is not healthy, we do have healthy options over there and unhealthy options. It all depends on who gets the food and what they want,” said DeToro.
Still, some students feel that the options at the Cafe aren’t as expansive and student oriented as they should be, and that the students should have more say into what the available options are.
“I think the cafe exists for the students because we’re the people who buy most of this stuff,” said Juha Lee ’27. “I think it’s important that we should have a voice in choosing what is available since we’re the ones who are going to buy it.”
In addition to choice, students are also worried about unexpected price changes within the Tiger Cafe, since they aren’t formally notified about any price changes. This has led to questions regarding the affordability of items in the Cafe.
“The prices have risen by only a few cents, not a dollar, not anything else,” said DeToro. “[The bagels] were originally $2.50 but they went up to $2.75 because of the high end prices from Bagel Nook.”
However, many price changes can be attributed to external factors out of the school’s control. Supply chain issues have led to increased costs of food from all suppliers, including produce, poultry, and even french fries. These issues have led to increased costs throughout the industry and make business difficult for all entities involved.
"It's not like we're trying to stuff it in our pockets or anything. It's just, unfortunately, the cost for us to get everything has gone up,” explained Kevin Lucci, the food service director at PHS.
Still, there are options for those who are unable to afford the a la carte options from the Tiger Cafe. Because the Tiger Cafe doesn’t operate under the National School Lunch Program, they aren’t obligated to provide low-cost meals. Therefore, students who can’t afford Tiger Cafe items can still receive meals through the school's regular lunch program in the cafeteria, including free or reduced-price lunches if eligible.