For the past three years, excluding the 2020-2021 school year, there have been three different brands of pizza that have gone through the SHS cafeteria. Some may have wondered why the pizza has changed. But due to there being no official statement, there would have been no way of finding out. Which begs the question, what happened to the old brands of pizza? And what do people think about it?

The Food & Nutrition Service Director, Lynne Hutchison, is in charge of deciding the menu for Solon Schools. In addition, she also decides what brand of pizza the school serves on pizza day which depends on a number of factors.

“We give them all the [requirements] we have to have [such as price and nutrition]… then we look at all the things, you know, do they meet the requirements?” Hutchison said. “Is their price really good? And do the students like it? And then we weigh those and pick the one that’s best that year.”

Domino’s was the long standing partner in pizza that the district used. Knowing these various factors, why did the school change from Domino’s after such a long partnership?

“Pricing wise, they just weren’t competitive,” Hutchison said. “You know, we got really good pricing with the old owner. And now that he’s gone… [the price is not] the same anymore.”

The change in pizza brands from Domino’s to Pizza Hut was not a very positive change for some, such as in the case of one freshman, Ann Li, when they were asked how they initially reacted to the shift.

“[My initial reaction was] not that well. I don’t like Pizza Hut as much as Domino’s.”

This sentiment was not shared in the case of one upperclassman, Khalin Rubbo, when given the choice between the three brands of pizza, Domino’s, Pizza Hut and Papa John’s, there was one outlier.

“I’d say Pizza Hut or Papa John’s [is my favorite, but] unequivocally not Domino’s.”

Although the change in pizza brands was displayed on the menu, there were some students who didn’t notice the shift like sophomore Lily Cox.

“I didn’t notice, but now that I know I’m kinda offended.”

Among all the differing opinions, there was one strong supporter for Team Domino’s. Senior student Tyler Crawford.

“Definitely by far Domino’s [is my favorite]… the crust… that garlic buttery crust [is] so, so good. And there’s the dough in general too.”

As a whole, there’s a lot more to the school lunch that often gets overlooked by those who eat it. Currently, the king of the cafeteria mountain is Papa John’s. Only the future will tell if their pizza will last. As the old saying goes, every person is different. And so for every slice is a different opinion. But these opinions don’t fall on deaf ears. Hutchison provides insight that the Food & Nutrition Service is listening. They are currently working out a system for students to be able to voice their opinions about what they like or don’t like about the menu as a whole.