Food at The Gatton Academy

By:  Niven Achenjang

One of the most dreaded aspects of high school is the school food. At the Academy, this same sentiment does not hold. Being able to live on a university campus for your last two years of high school is great, but not just for the challenging courses. Arguably better than the academic advantages of Gatton are its nourishment advantages.

On WKU’s campus are several places to eat with a variety of foods. Want some pizza? Check out Papa John’s or Da Vinci’s. Looking for a good burger? Try Steak & Shake or Burger Studio. In the mood for chicken? We have Chick Fil-A and Popeye’s. If you are craving something a little bit healthier, then consider Subway, Burrito Bowl, or Fresh Foods. All eating options on campus – not just the ones listed here – offer better food than your typical high school.

To make things better, most of it is essentially free. Every week, as a Gatton student, we get 19 meal swipes. Nearly all places on campus have value meals. These are pre-chosen meals offered by the restaurant that cost a single meal swipe. Most of them are a food item (6-in sub, slice of pizza, chicken sandwich), a side (cookies, breadsticks, fries), and a fountain drink. Some restaurants go a step further and let you pay for items off of the value meal using multiple meal swipes. The value of a meal swipe is $3.45 so I could, for example, get a brownies from Papa John’s – which cost $6.00 – for two meal swipes. In addition to the meal swipes, we also receive 75 meal plan dollars which can be spent on any food item on campus, and roll over between Fall and Spring semesters.

Finally, not all academy dining is done on campus. Gatton students often eat in town, getting to their restaurants via either walking or a suburban driven by an RC. Bowling Green has many more restaurants than most cities of its size, so eating off campus is a great way to try something new or different. The only drawback is you have to use real money. No matter where you are eating though, you will agree that food here trumps food at most high schools.