When a student at Westerville South high school is looking for a quiet place to eat before school starts or during a lunch period, they think of going to the cafe outside of the library, but to their surprise they see that it is closed even though that is the allotted time to use it.
According to Principal Michael Hinze the cafe is closed from serving students at this time due to both a leak that went into a storage area in the library that is not fixed yet and the understaffing of food service jobs all throughout the district.
“I really hope when it is eventually open again that students enjoy it during their lunch periods or before school,” Hinze said, “but without enough staffing we can’t do that.”
Even though the cafe is currently closed at WSHS some students still go there during lunches and before school following the rules of staying there the whole time and being respectful to everyone.
According to a Scribe survey, students often work on schoolwork, bring lunch up there to eat, or just go up there to sit with friends during lunch. Others shared that they appreciate the quietness compared to the busy cafeteria.
Sophomore Molly Niewenhous-Ryan said she would visit the cafe last year to eat lunch and sometimes even get a hot chocolate before school. She misses the cafe as a space for her and friends to sit together before school or during lunch.
Other students, such as Sophomore Josh Shart, have never gone to the cafe due to inconvenient timing of arriving at school, classes, and it never being open at the end of the day.
Senior Raymond Tinsley said he has gone to the cafe to get work done before going to his career center; however, he would not recommend using the space currently since it is not operating at its full potential.
With staffing being the main issue of the closure, the school district’s Food Director Brent Kasler said, “The biggest cause is the number of employees we have had out on extended leave this school year.”
Kasler also shared that with some retirements and staff members leaving it has “caused a domino effect where employees will move up and we are left with trying to fill an entry level position.” He continued, stating, “These positions are harder to fill because they have fewer work hours and lesser pay than the higher up positions.”
According to Kasler, the district is constantly reposting open positions and interviewing candidates so that the food service department can eventually be fully staffed again.
When the staffing issue is resolved, Westerville South students can expect to have the cafe open once again. But until then, it will stay closed.