   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.


Tower Investigates: Tiger Cafe

As the final bell rings on a Tiger Day,
Siddarth Chellapan ’28, along with the rest
of PHS’s freshmen, heads to Peer Group to
meet up with classmates and Peer Group
leaders to discuss various
social and school-related
issues.


“It’s been beneficial for
mental health because we get
to learn more and get advice
from upperclassmen,” said
Chellapan. “It’s helped me
understand how selecting courses work
and understanding how the layout of the
whole school system works.”


In the coming weeks, around 100
current PHS juniors will find out if they
are one of the 63 applicants chosen to be
Peer Group leaders next year. As part of
the application, students have to answer
written questions, attend interviews, and
have teacher recommendations.


“It’s going to be my senior year next year,
and I feel like I’ve done a lot of what the
opportunities there are to offer here,” said
Naomi Lygas ’26, a junior applying to be a
Peer Group leader. “I just want to be able
to provide my advice for the freshmen that
obviously don’t have as much experience.”


If they are selected, the rising seniors will
attend a short leadership retreat and enroll
in a daily, year-long class on how
to be a Peer Group leader.


“We’re looking for things like
self-awareness, problem-solving
ability, compassion and empathy,
moral responsibility, [and]
good active listening skills,” said
Christian Gonzalez, a Peer Group
advisor. “At the same time, in the written
application, we’re looking for authenticity,
commitment, again, self-awareness, and
then leadership potential.”


The activities, called “outreaches,” vary
depending on the week, but are usually
centered around building community and
adapting to the challenges of high school.


“It changes a lot from group to group, but
with our freshmen, you usually have better
outreaches with more serious topics, which
seems like that wouldn’t actually happen,
but it’s like they’re more engaged with the
material. And it makes it worth being there,”
said Ava Tabeart ’25, a Peer Group leader.


The goal for all activities is to develop
a sense of community among freshmen.
“I think the most important thing is that
the freshmen feel like they are connected,
like they have a space here at PHS, which,
although a very welcoming place, is still a
high school … and it can be hard to find a
connection,” said Gonzalez.


Not only does Peer Group help freshmen
adjust to a new school
environment, it’s also a way
for seniors to develop their
leadership skills.


“I think a big part of it
is actually to learn to be
a leader of other people,”
said Hayah Mian ’25, a
current Peer Group leader.
“You’re accommodating how
[freshmen] work and how
you work, and they’re kids, so it takes a
couple of months to understand how they
work and what works best.”


However, some freshmen remain critical
of several aspects of the program.


“There’s a bunch of clubs that overlap
with peer group, so I’m sad that I can’t go
to those”, said John Patrick Aguilar ’28.
“It could [also] be a little more energetic
because most of the topics we approach with
a sort of laziness. But I think that relies on
[us] too, to bring more energy to the group.”


 Mian and other peer group leaders
are actively looking for ways that they
can improve this program
and make sure that PHS
freshmen have the best possible
experience.


“I think the way we talk
about more serious topics
[can be improved]. We talk
about gender, sexuality, race
and things, [which] I feel we
are not completely prepared
to dive deep into,” said Mian.
“[Having] more preparation and more
freedom with what you do with your
students, as not all students are the same
and learn differently, [would improve the
program].

Photo: Emily Kim

Peer Group leaders Tessa Thai ’25 and Ozan Koyluogu ’25 lead Tara Venkatesh ’28, Chloe Wu ’28, Rohan Balasubramanian ’28 , Pranav Shrivastava ’28, and Bram Reynolds ’28 in a reading of an I Am Lovable and Capable story.

Pranav Shrivastava's Work