For the teachers and staff of San Marcos High School, Cafe Royale is back! The culinary program is hosting a cafe on Wednesdays at Royal Time in room K02 for any teacher who wants a pick-me-up before the rest of their day. 

Cafe Royal the First Time

The last time Cafe Royale was open was in 2018, where the classroom itself was turned into a cafe area where teachers could sit and relax with a drink and some food during their lunch. Back in 2018, Cafe Royale had more options, such as entrees, a salad bar, desserts, etc.

“Production is much, much smaller than it used to be, but I’m happy to be back in an operation where teachers have an option and something fun that students have made on Wednesdays so maybe the program will grow a little more in the future,” said Mr.s Barker, Cafe Royale’s director and head chef. “But it’s nice to keep it a little bit smaller.”

Regardless of the small menu, Cafe Royale is thriving and popular as ever. Teachers and staff are really appreciative of all the students working hard to deliver and make Cafe Royale possible.

“The service was good,” said art teacher, Mrs. Kolasa.” “As it’s barely opening, I love it, but I hope there can be more options in the future.” 

Cafe Royal Operation this Year

An email was sent out to teachers and staff, allowing them to place an online order that they could come pick up during Royal Time or have it delivered to them in their classrooms. Teachers and staff could also show up to room K02 and order something from the front desk cashier, Leslie Gomez. There are kids making cinnamon rolls and avocado toast inside the kitchen, a barista or two handling the drinks, and a few kids would be getting the food ready for delivery. Like any real restaurant, they had their rush hour, and since they are only open during Royal Time, most of the time is rush hour.

“It was definitely stressful because everyone was moving 100mph, but I really enjoyed it,” Said Cafe Royale’s cashier, Leslie Gomez. “It was great to finally see the cafe open after so much time planning it.”

Cafe Royal is Only Open to Teachers

According to the wellness policy across the school districts, caffeine is not allowed to be given to students. This means that if students wanted a drink from Cafe Royale, the drink would have to be decaf. But the way the coffee machine operates, it would take longer, meaning a delay on the orders. Cafe Royale is only during the 55 minute period of Royal Time on Wednesdays, meaning that there would be a lot of people turned down due to time constraints. The Cafe Royale would also be “competing” with the cafeteria as they have their own sales from the stands and the money produced from the sales makes up a portion of the money used to provide cafeteria food for students.

Overall, teachers and staff across campus are grateful that Cafe Royale is back. Though there are some issues that could be improved, Cafe Royale has raised a lot of money on their first day alone. Hopefully they’ll be able to continue and expand as time goes on.