Every day, the lunch period gives students a chance to rest, refuel and gain the proper nutrition needed before toiling on for several more hours of rigorous studies. However, the lunch menu can often seem inconsistent, with students heavily favoring some lunches over others.
To help students become more involved in choosing the lunch menu, SAGE Dining, the school’s lunch provider, recently activated a review app called Touch of SAGE, allowing students to rate menu items, leave feedback and view nutritional information. The app was introduced to the student body by Student Council Executive Secretary and junior Ilan Gunawardena,.
For Gunawardena, increasing transparency and communication around food has always been a long-term goal rather than a spontaneous initiative.
“It’s actually something that I wanted to do since last year in the spring,” Gunawardena said. “I mentioned it in my student council speech for secretary, and it’s something I’ve been wanting to get done for a while.”
The app itself mirrors SAGE’s online menu schedule but adds interactive features designed to make feedback more specific and actionable. Students can view nutrition facts, favorite items and track meals they want to see more or less often.
Beyond convenience, the app offers a structured alternative to informal complaints that often go unheard.
“(The app) is an easier way than just complaining about it at lunch versus now a tangible way to communicate that to SAGE,” Gunawardena said.
Gunawardena emphasized that while SAGE dining is a privilege, students have limited alternatives and deserve a way to communicate preferences.
“We’re very extremely privileged to have SAGE,” Gunawardena said. “But again, given that we don’t have the option to bring our own lunch, it would be nice as a person who enjoys food — and I’m sure a lot of other people at St. Mark’s enjoy food — to be able to communicate what I liked and didn’t like about the menu.”
Some students have already begun to notice potential impacts. Sophomore Nicholas Petrikas, who has used the app several times and has familiarized himself with the feedback process, suggested that the timing of popular menu items shows that feedback may be working.
“I think (the app) is a useful thing to use, assuming (SAGE) listens to criticism,” Petrikas said. “As of now, it seems to be working well, as we are about to get chicken alfredo bake for the first time all year in the same week as chicken fried steak, which are number one and number two on our advisory’s lunch leaderboard, respectively.”
While Gunawardena did not create the app himself, he hopes increased usage will allow student preferences to gradually shape the school’s lunch menu over time.
“If we can see a change in the menu to reflect what the students want, it would be awesome,” Gunawardena said. “Again, as a student, there’s only so much we can do. But if this can take steps in the right direction, that’s what would be best.”
