Imagine waking up five in the morning, and making it to school a little before six to cook breakfast, then turn around and start preparing lunch. That is the daily routine of an average cafeteria worker.

   There are a lot of things students do not see behind the cafeteria doors, such as trying to get everything together as it should be in the perfect amount of time. 

   “The hardest part is keeping everyone working well together, because when you get a lot of women in one kitchen it’s hard to keep peace sometimes,” cafeteria manager Patty Griffin said. 

   Along with COVID came more struggles, trucks were now short on workers which now affects when the school gets their supplies. 

   “It’s been tough, not getting material we need, not getting the food we need.” cafeteria worker Ashley Tanner said.

   Due to the shortage, the school sometimes runs out of food, which causes the school to have to substitute it for another option. Even though this does not happen often, if conditions get worse it could possibly worsen things.

   To help lighten the stress on the ladies, the ladies also encourage students to clean up their area after eating when in the cafeteria.

   “We just wish students would clean up after themselves and be more courteous in the lunch line and other things like that,” cafeteria worker Shirley Middleton said.

   Some students have even made some rude comments toward the food, yet it does not not seem to phase the ladies.

   “It doesn’t really bother me, we fix [the food] the way we are supposed to while trying to add a bit of flavor to it,” Tanner  said.

   Although they have not had many problems out of students this year, in response to their attitudes they smile and say thank you, all while being respectful. 

   Despite these factors they face, the lunch ladies still bond together like family. They take pride in what they do, and how well they do it considering the guidelines they have to follow. 

   “I love the kids, I love my job, I love my ladies, we are like one big family here, that’s the easiest part,” Griffin said.

     Next time you are complaining about how you did not get what you wanted, or how ‘nasty’ you think the food is, consider how much worse it would be without our lunch ladies who take a lot of pride in preparing our food on a daily basis.