Sage Dining Services at Greenhill are almost back to normal, with some restrictions.

The number of students at each table is limited inside of the cafeteria, and students must sanitize their hands before they receive lunch.

Sage Dining staff have also made changes while preparing food for students.

“We keep stations six feet apart from each other,” said Sage Dining Manager Aquino Lopez Orvill. “The employees are asserting space in the kitchen for everyone to work.” 

Sage Dining staff are working to keep the cafeteria clean during the school day. The cafeteria is regularly cleaned throughout the day, and employees wear masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Some of the equipment previously in the cafeteria, like panini presses, has been put on hold to ensure students’ safety.

Younger students are not old enough to get the COVID-19 vaccine, so decreasing their contact with other students is a top priority. Sage is implementing the rule that only allows four people at a table, so the tables are less crowded. This helps to reduce the spread between many people at once.

The Sage employees have enjoyed the expansion of seeing kids in-person more rather than last year when employee and student interaction was very limited. Transitioning from boxed lunches in the previous school year to dining in the cafeteria has allowed employees to interact with the students more. 

“Something the community can do to help us out is to check the menu ahead of time and think about what you want,” said Lopez.

Students can also think about other people in the cafeteria and make sure there is enough food for everyone.

There are a few things that students can do to help Sage Dining employees keep lunch going smoothly throughout the school year. 

“Think about your neighbor,” Lopez said. “Don’t grab ten desserts when you know that the next guy is going to have nothing.”

Sage Dining will be able to lift some restrictions on the cafeteria when more vaccination options are available for younger students.