Mason High School cafeteria gets $1.5M renovation ahead of fall semester
District-funded overhaul adds new equipment, expanded serving lines and a stone deck pizza oven
MASON, Ohio (WXIX) - When Mason High School opens its doors this fall, students will walk into a cafeteria that has been updated for the first time since the building opened more than two decades ago.
The district spent nearly $1.5 million gutting and modernizing the space, bringing in new equipment, expanding the serving lines and adding two new entry doors to improve the flow of lunch traffic.
“We wanted to take the opportunity to really modernize the space, modernize the equipment,” a district official said. “We’ve expanded the line so we’ll be able to put out more food at a time so the students can have a quick in and out experience.”
One of the most notable additions is a stone deck pizza oven capable of reaching 900 degrees — the same temperature used at a typical pizzeria.
“The Pizza Master oven is a stone deck oven and the surface that we’re going to be baking on can go up to 900 degrees like a typical pizzeria out there,” an official said. “You should get a nice crispy crust with a kind of a nice fluffy inside to it.”
Menu changes tied to new federal guidelines
The renovation is not limited to the physical space. The district is also overhauling its menu to meet new National School Lunch Program guidelines, cutting sodium and added sugar across all meals.
“Nutrition is a developing science, and we should develop with it,” an official said. “As new things are learned, we should adjust and adapt and modify — when you learn better, you do better.”
No taxpayer dollars used
The district funded the entire project through savings accumulated over several years within its student nutrition program. No taxpayer dollars were used.
With three lunch periods and more than 2,000 students to feed each day, the district said the goal is to get students a healthy meal and return them to class quickly.
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