What’s cooking in the Highland Park High School cafeteria this spring?
The kitchen closed after lunch on Feb. 13 so Highland Park ISD could whip up the café’s first renovation since 2002. When the major redesign is complete in early August, students can look forward to faster service and even more flavorful dining options.
“We’re excited for renovations to begin in mid-February and have a great plan to keep serving our students,” parent teacher association president Neely Thrash said. “We are thankful for our wonderful parent volunteers who will help make this possible during the renovation.”
The high school’s menu already includes mouthwatering, healthy options such as garlic and herb grilled salmon, white cheddar roasted poblano soup, and Cuban pork tenderloin. One goal of the renovation is to give students more time to savor their favorites.
To formulate the new layout, the PTA, school district, and high school cafeteria manager worked with an architect and kitchen designer on ways to improve the cafeteria’s use of space in its existing footprint.
By reworking the back area of the kitchen, the team was able to create room for a fifth serving line dedicated to a robust salad bar. A fourth entrance to the serving area will also be added to help improve the flow of students into the space.
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The Market, which offers grab-and-go options such as sandwiches, wraps, drinks, and snacks, will be relocated from the dining area to the serving area, while cashiers will move from serving lines to the area’s exits to speed checkout, explained PTA cafeteria finance chair Ashley Blanchette.
“Enhancing the student experience has been a key focus throughout the entire planning process, with even more flavorful menu options, reduced wait times, and the flexibility in several lines to transition between hot and cold offerings — creating a more efficient and enjoyable dining experience for our students,” she said.
Students won’t go hungry while the kitchen is closed. Breakfast will be available daily, and the Market will serve freshly-made sandwiches, wraps, salads, fruits, and snacks. High schoolers will have daily catered options from Domino’s, Subway, Chick-fil-A, and Goff’s Hamburgers. Juniors, who usually are required to stay on campus for lunch, will be able to eat out.
The dining area will remain open for students this spring before closing in the summer for upgrades including new flooring.
But the cafeteria’s redesign isn’t limited to its serving and dining areas — the replacement of outdated kitchen equipment is also on the menu.
“I am most excited about the new charbroiler that will allow us to cook our existing grilled items with more flavor,” cafeteria manager Brenda Vardell said. “We are planning on using it to offer jerk chicken, salmon, and cod, just to name a few new items.”
The redo is funded by about $3 million from the bond approved by voters in November 2024, along with an additional donation from the high school’s PTA for dining room furniture, lighting, and acoustic panels.
Teachers, students, staff, and parents have all been enthusiastic about the upgrades.
“Everyone seems very excited about the improvements being made to our kitchen and cafeteria,” principal Kevin Hunt said. “We are very thankful to our community and PTA for supporting this and other projects that benefit everyone here at HPHS.”
