Tired of being squished just to get lunch? Good news: Edison finally noticed the cafeteria hallway traffic jam and opened a second entrance this Monday near the Main Office.
Edison students have complained about cafeteria crowding for months. The administration finally responded by opening the doors near the basement bathrooms. This marks the first major change to lunch traffic flow this year. Previously, all students had to funnel through a single entrance during their lunch period. Students hope the new system will cut down wait times and make getting lunch easier.
The new entrance is available during the first 10 minutes of each lunch period for students who have their ID. Before the new entrance, all students entered the cafeteria through one set of doors, and the hallway would get packed with students waiting to get in.
Students React Positively
Some students have praised the new system, noting that they can now get their seats and lunch faster with the addition of a second entrance.
“I think the new doors just helped a lot of people who don’t really get to be at the cafeteria in time and a lot of people are not able to get their seats of their own, so I think the addition of the new doors just helps more people access and go to the cafeteria and go to their seats and get lunch earlier,” said Parmita Das, a junior.
“I love the addition of the new cafeteria entryway. It helps fix many of the issues we the students had with the one breezeway entrance before,” said Jaskaran Singh, a junior. “It helped fix the overcrowding and decreased the pushing among students, also it has helped the door opening time to get into lunch faster instead of us standing there for 10 minutes wasting precious lunchtime.”
Communication Issues
Not all students were aware of this change, however. Sadiatut Tanha, a senior, was informed of it by student reporters on Wednesday, despite the change being put in place the previous Monday.
“I didn’t really know about it, because they didn’t really advertise it or tell anyone, they didn’t make an announcement,” Tanha said. “But I think it’s better this way because people closest to that entrance can go through that and don’t have to walk around.”
Staff Perspective
Rasheed, a cafeteria staff member, said the change hasn’t had much impact on his job. “I haven’t seen much of a difference,” Rasheed said. “It hasn’t really changed how lunch runs or how crowded it feels,” He also added that the second door hasn’t caused any safety or supervision concerns.
Exit Changes introduces Mixed Feelings
With the addition of the new entryway into the cafeteria, it has also changed the way students exit. Previously students could exit through both cafeteria doors, but now only the rightmost doors are available for leaving the cafeteria. Some students have shared complaints about the new exit system.
“I feel like the door situation is okay, but I feel like it’s kinda crowded when I’m trying to exit the cafeteria,” said Jemima Biswas, a junior.
Looking Ahead
School officials are testing whether this change solves the overcrowding problem that students have been reporting. As students continue to use both entrances, it will become clear whether the two-door system is the solution Edison needed.
