When Lakeside administrators first announced a 2024–2025 partnership with SAGE Dining Services, they certainly did not know how the community would react to this groundbreaking deal. However, a little over a month after the initial news was released, polling suggests that students who don’t currently eat lunch from Lakeside are the most grateful recipients of this change.

Within this group, data suggests that students who bring lunch to school from home are overwhelmingly the most approving. With the $1,600 meal plan included in tuition, students who previously packed lunch report excitement about not being able to choose whether to bring food or purchase it from school. According to data scientists who analyzed the survey data, this excitement may result from a feeling of relief resulting from options being reduced. That is, students who were previously overwhelmed by the choice between bringing or buying lunch no longer have to spend brainpower on that decision.

One student anonymously contributed: “For just $1,600, Lakeside is taking the decision of what to eat off of my shoulders.” Another added that he is excited to try school lunch for the first time: “I may have been bringing lunch to school since 5th grade, but now the decision is out of my hands, and that feels nice.” Other students reported positive feelings about not having to spend time packing their lunch boxes in the mornings. Clearly, there is positive sentiment coming from students who bring lunch to school right now, but what about students who go off campus?

Well, findings from the aforementioned survey indicate the rising seniors are loving the change as well. Respondents in this demographic suggested that they will enjoy eating in the WCC for yet another year, with one pointing out how the noise makes it feel like a busy restaurant during peak hours. Students who plan to resist the tempting atmosphere of the WCC and go off campus are also looking forward to the possibilities SAGE offers.

One current junior commented, “Instead of just paying for my lunch at the restaurant, I will also be paying ten bucks for the lunch I didn’t eat at Lakeside. I hope that’ll make it feel like I’m eating at Carbone and not Chick-Fil-A.”

Next year, Lakeside’s culinary situation will be completely revamped. Students are yet to experience the new cuisine and structure of the WCC, but it’s safe to say that a big decision like the partnership from SAGE will provoke powerful reactions both for and against. Thankfully, previously overwhelmed lunch-bringers get to enjoy the mental clarity from lunch decisions being taken out of their hands.