Any student sophomore or older will fondly remember the A la Carte menu from years prior. 

Burgers, chicken sandwiches, Bosco sticks, and, of course, fries. But that disappeared during the 2022-23 school year, and there was no sign of a return anytime soon.

Surprisingly, A la Carte has made a triumphant return, first with burgers and Bosco sticks and now back again with the coveted fries. But why did it disappear in the first place? Why has it come back now? 

This answer is unsurprisingly simple. 

“Staffing,” said Bronwen Anderson, Child Nutrition Coordinator here at Prior Lake. “Last year we were really short staffed and we just decided we couldn’t do it.” 

“We thought about doing it earlier,” Anderson said, “we didn’t want to announce it earlier because, again, staffing; people get sick.” 

Anderson also commented that the kitchen staff didn’t want to set dates for A la Carte’s return or the return of fries because they didn’t want to disappoint students. 

While not having enough people is a hurdle in and of itself, having a new staff also presents some challenges.

“The people that work there have never worked there before,” Anderson said, and because 

of that, they’ve kept the menu more limited.

Students also can have a say in what’s served for A la Carte, can leave suggestions with anyone on the serving staff, or email ideas that they’d like to see.

Overall, it’s safe to say that Prior Lake students are thrilled to see their favorite lunch options return and we’re all waiting patiently for what comes next.

Students can contact Ms. Anderson at branderson@plsas.org to submit lunch suggestions.