This year, students and faculty were found with not only salads but also sandwiches from the deli bar during sit-down meals. Situated in the basement, beside the salad bar, the deli bar provides all the ingredients for the perfect sandwich: bread, sliced ham, turkey, roast beef, different cheeses, and a variety of spreads and sauces such as cranberry, mayo, Chick-fil-A sauce, and the Greer sauce.
This summer, Director of Food Services Micheal McCarthy and his staff provided a deli bar to faculty, their families, and children from the summer camps held on campus to test its popularity. The results were successful and the deli bar received many compliments, so they decided to make it official for the school year. In an interview, Mr. McCarthy said, “By the third sit down back at school, people definitely [knew about the Deli Bar], because they were all over it.” He also mentioned that the Dining Hall provided about 180 to 200 sandwiches every day, proving its popularity.
The idea of a deli bar came from students in the Food Committee. They meet every Tuesday during sit-down lunch to make suggestions for the food served by the Dining Hall. Johnnie Moriarty ’23, a member of the Food Committee said, “I always liked subway sandwiches and cold cuts in general so I proposed that a deli bar should be added in addition to the salad bar, for those who maybe didn’t want a salad but wanted an alternate option from the regular meal.”
Many students liked how the deli bar provided a more substantial meal option compared to the salad bar. When asked about the difference between them, Gabe Swisher-Rosa ’23 said, “the deli bar provides more substantial meat options for students who want a good source of protein.”
Svetlana Deshpande ’25 gave her opinion on why the deli bar has become so popular: “last year, I was always conflicted because I was never satisfied with a salad. It’s so much more satisfying to eat a sandwich.”
Instead of choosing just a salad or just a sandwich, a few people combined the two together. Art teacher Mr. Angel Abreu ’92 went to the deli bar for slices of meat to add to his salad. The combination of the two makes for a more filling salad for some people.
Many students agreed with this trend. Mikayla Meertins ’26 said, “I think [the deli bar] is a good alternative for picky eaters and people who don’t like the actual meals.”
Despite its success, the deli bar posed challenges for the Dining Hall staff. Many ingredients were either low in stock or unable to be shipped from a supplier. One reason there was a low supply of ingredients are due to the bird flu. Many birds were killed to stop the spreading of the recent bird flu, so the market doesn’t have many mature birds. Mr. McCarthy saw this effect in the depleting supply of turkey. “We had a hard time getting turkey products,” he explained, “a shift in the supply chain was always an issue before COVID-19, but it’s definitely more of an issue now.”
The ingredients included in the deli bar are subject to change in the future depending on availability and price fluctuation. Nevertheless, the Deli Bar seems to be a popular addition to meals. At the end of the interview, Mr. McCarthy mentioned that the Dining Hall staff are always open to feedback and added, “feel free to shoot me an email. We’re always looking for ideas.”