Every day at lunch and nutrition, parked somewhere between buildings 3 and 4, you’ll find West’s newest addition to campus: The Cruisin’ Cafe. With its colorful blue and white paint job,  a surfboard attached to its side, and the long line of students that typically follow — it’s hard to miss. 

   While Cafeterias 4 and 5 used to be the only places to get lunch, serving both hot and cold meals, this new addition offers means of separating the two and potentially cutting wait time in half. 

   The Cruisin’ Cafe is a mobile electric vehicle that you can often spot driving about campus or preparing for the rush of students in the minutes before the bell rings.

   Principal Mrs. Murata explained that West is actually the first school in TUSD to receive a Cruisin’ Cafe truck,  courtesy of the district’s Nutrition Services Department. She elaborated upon its purpose, saying, “it’s intended to kind of diversify the options we have available” by offering specifically refrigerated foods such as cold sandwiches and drinks, and going wherever it is needed most. Responsible for storing and handing out the cold food options offered at Cafeterias 4 and 5, the Cruisin’ Cafe draws quite the crowd, with many students rushing from class to beat the line. 

   Sasha Rogala (12), who has visited the Cruisin’ Cafe on occasion, remarked: “The fact it’s a food truck adds something new and interesting to campus. . . it caters to people who don’t eat near the normal lunch lines.” Murata also remarked upon the vehicle’s efficiency: “The thing that’s been really nice about it is it’s cut down our lunch lines. . . because it’s given us one more point of sale.” In addition to offering students a faster means of getting lunch, the Cruisin’ Cafe’s mobility gives it the ability to travel to any part of campus where it is needed. Students who eat in areas that are not within striking distance of those two options now have a third.