At GHS Cardinal Café, Muffins Make Headlines Again

Greenwich Schools Superintendent Dr. Toni Jones recently talked about an unexpected result of Greenwich High School’s return to an earlier start time this year: an uptick in students buying breakfast at Cardinal Café at Greenwich High School.

“We are selling muffins galore.” – Dr. Toni Jones, Greenwich Schools superintendent

Muffins at Cardinal Café have made local headlines for years.

In March 2024, then GHS student body vice president Omar Galal shared concerns with the BOE about the school’s involvement in the National School Lunch Program and muffins being nixed from the menu.

Muffins for sale at Cardinal Cafee. Photo: Miller Fishback

He said the program’s nutritional requirements had negatively impacted serving sizes as well as student interest in school lunch.

“Decline in student interest also means decline in sales, which will certainly be the case in coming months when our highly coveted muffins are removed from the cafeteria in order to abide by NSLP requirements,” Omar said at the March 2024 BOE meeting.

GHS did not participate in the the federally assisted National School Lunch Program prior to the pandemic, when the US Dept of Agriculture issued waivers that allowed schools to provide free meals to all students through the program, and a large number of GHS students took advantage of the opportunity. This pandemic-era program, “universal free meals,” ended in June 2022

Going back further in time, in 2014, one candidate for student government president successfully fought off a muffin price increase and printed up t-shirts that said “Muffin Man.” (He won.)

Today, muffins are selling like hotcakes at GHS.

Last spring the school board voted to make GHS start time earlier in order to save money on bus transportation since the BET decreased the BOE’s requested operating budget by $4.1 million.

Start time at GHS had been 8:30am since 2017. The later start time was voted on in 2016 by the BOE after parents and students testified at public hearings, along with medical experts who talked about the science of sleep for teens.

During her radio interview on WGCH 1490am last week, Dr. Jones explained that the first instructional bell at GHS now rings at 8:00am, but students now arrive by bus around 7:30am, giving them time to meet with a teacher or eat breakfast at school.

“What we’re seeing is that free and reduced meals – as you know food insecurity is so important – is up 35%. Our kids are eating breakfast with us. But it’s also our students who pay for their lunches and their breakfasts,” she said.

“We are selling muffins galore. They’re buying hot breakfasts, drinking healthy protein shakes. Sales have gone from $2,450 this time last year to $23,000 in the same month.”

Jones said before start time was pushed back, GHS students would get dropped off at 8:25am and would run to their first class at 8:30am.

Having visited the high school the previous day, Jones said, “It’s wonderful to see all the high schoolers in this very calm environment – some of them are doing homework and things together. It’s a great way to start the day.”

In this past election campaign season, which started early due to the Republican BET primary, GHS start time continued to be a hot topic. Incoming BOE member Paul Cappiali joined BET members in two LTEs expressing concern about unnecessary disruptions caused by changing the start time.

As Greenwich Schools enters budget season and new BOE members will be sworn in at the Nov 20 school board meeting, school start times may have to share the spotlight with muffins.