Once students reach their senior year, they are given many new privileges. These include solo parking passes, front seats at athletic events, signing out for Anchor Time, and most notably, going out for lunch. This has presented a lot of benefits for the seniors of Minnetonka High School, but there are some drawbacks.

Many people have seen the benefits of going out for lunch. For one, “it’s very beneficial because it gives [you] a time where if you don’t have an open hour, [you] can just go chill somewhere and not have to be at school sitting in a really crowded space,” says Isabella Clanton, ‘26. Depending on where you park, however, the time constraint proves to be an issue. Ellen Ingham, ‘26, parks on the  frontage road and states, “I have to really plan ahead if I [want to] go get lunch, I have to […] leave early so I can get a good spot so that I am close so the walk isn’t 20 minutes.” This demonstrates a slight disadvantage to eating out, which causes people like Ingham to just stay in. Even if you park close, some tend to get “stressed since it can be such a time hustle,” according to Helena Kolecek, ‘26.

Another reason people have issues with leaving campus for lunch is having to show your online Hub pass. Clanton says that “the passes [are an issue] when you leave, because there is no WiFi or service whatsoever [at the West Entrance].” You have to load your passes in the Commons, and then have to walk all the way down to West to get it checked. Another topic brought up by Clanton was the fact that “on our physical IDs, it says ‘lunch pass,’ but you can’t use that.” Ultimately, going out to lunch is a great privilege, but to be successful, your outing needs to be planned a bit in advance.

There are many places to eat around school, ranging from Starbucks to Noodles & Company. Clanton loves being a “‘fun drink’ kind of gal, so [she loves] either going to Starbucks—or they just opened the Dodopop— so [she has] made all sorts of little concoctions, but [her] being performative, [she loves] getting a matcha latte from Starbucks.”
Kolecek also suggested that “Chipotle [is] pretty good, because the food was pretty fast, and it’s not that far away.” Along with Starbucks, Dodopop, and Chipotle, there are other good options, such as Culver’s and Dairy Queen.

Overall, the privilege of going out for lunch as a senior is a great thing for these students, but there are a few inconveniences that may outweigh the benefits.