When CHS students need to flee campus for a mental-health break during lunch, each trip is a race against the clock—provided students care about attendance. There are a number of lunch spots students can visit and return from during the 35-minute lunch break. One just needs to know where to look.
The first step to making sure one has enough time to get back in time for class is distinguishing between the upper parking lot and the baseball field parking lot. If one parks in the latter, a five-minute delay should be added to the total planned amount of time to account for the walk to and from the car.
One of the closest and most diverse lunch stops is the Crossroads Shopping Center, where one can find Safeway, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Starbucks, Good to Go and several other shops. This area is always a safe bet and has food that ranges from the pinnacle of health to a sweet guilty pleasure covered in frosting.
Although the Barnyard Shopping Village is actually closer than the Crossroads, it tends to be forgotten because of its lack of lunch options. However, it makes up what it lacks in quantity with quality, with Lafayette Bakery in the heart of the Barnyard, the Bagel Bakery around the corner and Subway—more or less quality depending on one’s view—just a hop, skip and a jump away.
Despite its lack of options, the Barnyard is a cornucopia compared to downtown Carmel, which has few quick lunch spots. For a fast bite, students can visit Bruno’s Market and Deli, Nielsen Bros. Market or one of the various coffee shops along Ocean Avenue if it has been a long day and some caffeine will help get through the remaining hour and a half.
For a little risk, one can go as far as Del Monte Shopping Center, where the most popular choice seems to be Chipotle. A trip there and back can be done, but I recommend ordering ahead of time—not in class—so it is ready to be picked up and driven quickly—and carefully—back to campus.
This method can be used at other restaurants that serve take out, but plan ahead and make peace with the fact that tardiness can always be a possibility.
-Delaney King
Alea / April 27, 2015
I love going off campus during lunch and have found that I have been able to drive to and from Chipotle with at least 5-10 minutes remaining in the lunch period. However, I would also like to say that Safeway is one of my top places as well because it is easy and there is a variety of foods to pick from.
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Jordan / April 27, 2015
Some of my favorite places to get a quick lunch are Bruno’s or Erik’s Deli. They have the best sandwiches and they fill me up when I forgot a lunch and I’m starving.
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Paige Barger / April 27, 2015
I really like this article because it is a good way for students to receive insight on where to eat lunch if they are deciding to go off campus. I was thinking you should have written a little section about the cost of going off campus and suggest that people should do it in moderation. All in all, this was a well-written article!
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