Following the sudden closure of the BYO Line in all NEISD high school campuses, students no longer have multiple choices in the cafeteria.
“To balance the length of the lines, we converted the BYO Line to a third Faves Line, which serves that day’s main entrée,” Assistant Director of School Nutrition Services Taylor Thompson said.
Appreciated for the variety of choices available to students, the BYO Line quickly became the busiest line in the cafeteria.
“We have seen that the percentage of high school students participating in the school lunch program has stayed about the same as the past few school years. Food waste is also now easier to control, since there are fewer ingredients being used and fewer menu items to plan for,” Thompson said.
After two years of being in place, the School Menu Planning Team wanted better quality of food than the BYO Line, as there was too much to control.
“Also, because the staff can focus on producing fewer entrée choices, food quality and speed-of-service should be improved,” Thompson said.
To potentially have future food options in the cafeteria such as the BYO Line, food tasting events are available to give feedback on new menu items.
“On November 6, 2025, School Nutrition Services will hold a tasting event at Bradley Middle School in the evening. This event is open to all NEISD students, and it will be a great opportunity for students to try potential future menu items and give valuable feedback to our department,” Thompson said.
