The new buzz of the 2018-19 school year was the new Dolphin cafe, and many students and faculty have several opinions on the cafe. Over the summer, we all saw Dr. Garran’s (Head of School) tweet about the intriguing new cafe – the picture showed the brand new entrance of Cafe Dolphin. Chris Garran said, “The reimagined Cafe Dolphin is getting closer to being ready for our students.” His excitement was through the roof! He couldn’t wait until every student and staff member could experience the freshness of the cafe. For the most part, reactions about the updates have been positive, even though it’s only October. Unlike past years, there is one change that has caused some concern. Mr. Paul Horgan, the Head of Upper School, announced that students will not be allowed to leave the cafe until approximately 12:55 pm. Many wondered why this was being initiated. Most students suspected it was because Cape Henry had spent a huge amount of money on the new cafe, and they wanted us to put it to good use. In an attempt to discover the truth, several students at Cape Henry were asked to share their opinions on the new cafe.

Caroline Cashion (‘19) was eager to share her opinion on the new cafe. She enjoys the atmosphere within Cafe Dolphin saying, “Everything is more minimalistic, organized, and pleasing to the eye.” On the first day of school, everyone was confused on which way the line has to go, so it initially caused a lot of chaos. Now that people know about the flow, it seems to work.  The new rule about leaving the cafe doesn’t affect her directly. Luckily, she is a senior this year and gets the privilege to leave Cafe Dolphin before the approximate end time. She explained that the rule is an inconvenience to those students who would rather study or do work than sit in the lunchroom.  Maybe toward the nearing of second semester, they will allow students the opportunity to leave to do work or study in the library before the end time of lunch.

It is evident that there is a flow within the lunch line. The cafeteria staff will surely let you know if you are doing it wrong. Especially, on the first day of school. Caroline explained that the new cafe is more convenient than years past because the line moves slightly faster. The long time Caroline has been a part of the Cape Henry community, her favorite part of Cafe Dolphin is the fresh, tasty, salad bar. She looks forward to it every day. Caroline greatly appreciates the hard work of the cafeteria staff.

The main thing Logan Tucker, also known as, LT (‘19), has noticed is how much better the ice cream is this year. He highly disagrees on the new rule, not being able to leave cafe early, as many do. Just like Caroline, LT is also a senior, so he has the privilege of leaving at any time he wants at lunch. The main issue for LT is the crowd build up at the main entrance. It is very difficult to get through the doors if you just want to go sit at a table or go to the salad bar. LT explains that Cafe Dolphin feels the same and not very different, except the physical appearance. Just like many others, LT’s favorite meal during lunch is the chicken nuggets.

In a poll through social media, 16 CHC students responded to this question: Is the new cafe better than the old cafe? The end results were 44% voted for “yes”, and 56% voted for “no”. Only 16 students participated within this poll. Let this make your own opinion on the new cafe dolphin.

Pic credits: Morgan Jones

Caption: Marshall Joyce ‘19 enjoying the refurbished cafe dolphin