Every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon, the library would fill with students who missed lunch and thought that 2:30 p.m. was a great time for a three-course meal. Assortments of granola bar wrappers, Dunkin Donuts napkins, and empty plastic cups and bottles could be found littering the million-dollar library. The librarians attempted to restrict people from bringing food into the library by enforcing pat-downs upon entry. However, this policy disintegrated when a clever student drove their compact car through the doors of the bus port to the library carrying hundreds of dollars worth of fast food. 

Ever since that fateful day, librarians along with other members of the administration contacted the Bistro and requested that they move from their dilapidated brick room near the gymnasium to the second floor balcony in the library. Along the back of the balcony were a number of rooms where members of the food service class could prepare meals, and the tables could be arranged among the balcony for an unobstructed view of the Astro Park. 

Although it had some opposition at first, the Bistro finally accepted the offer last month and has since been in the process of arranging the balcony for maximum comfort. No one outside of the food service class was allowed access to the balcony, but after school yesterday I snuck up there through the corridor where the Latin teachers are and took a few pictures. It appears that they have maintained their same table layout, but they’ve taken advantage of the rolling carts and chairs as serving materials. However, it appears no one wanted to do the dishes because instead of silverware and plates, spilling out from one of the rooms was a stash of extra plastic utensils and a large pile of disposable paper plates. 

Beside the room with the plastic utensils was a room full of paper menus, laminated in the plastic covers that can be found at Staples for pennies a piece. The items on the menu included a salad, macaroni and cheese, and a hamburger. Although those three items are very appealing to the American diet, no one here eats salads, so why bother having it on the menu? The food might be good, albeit basic, but I would prefer spending ten dollars on a hamburger from Red Robin instead of the Bistro. 

One problem the Bistro staff have encountered while trying to adapt to this new environment was that there was just too much light. Back near the gymnasium, the restaurant area was devoid of life with no windows to the outside. The kitchen had artificial lighting that was delicate on the eyes. On the balcony, though, staff members have unrestricted access to natural light, causing many to report temporary blindness from staring at the sun for too long. In order to reduce the number of eye problems, the Bistro’s advisor requested that the floor-to-ceiling windows by the front of the library be painted pitch black. 

The new move has also brought upon some new rules from the administration. All Bistro staff members are mandated to stay until at least 4 p.m. after school without any snacks because it’s technically considered an “after school period.” Some members of the staff accepted this order, while others attempted to unionize. The rhetoric of the administration was that they welcomed any attempt at students attempting to better their conditions of their classroom environment (like in the real world), but secretly threatened to revoke their course credits if they continued publicly protesting. They backed down shortly after. 

Regardless of the moving pains the Bistro is experiencing, we should still support them with our money and positive reinforcement, since the staff want to become chefs/workers in the food industry one day. Just make sure you don’t bring any food downstairs, unless you want the librarians to pat you down.