7 minute read
Cafeteria Theft on the Rise
→ By Taylor Malinger (‘24) NEWS
As the bell signals the start of lunchtime, hordes of hungry students converge on the cafeteria, eager to fill their stomachs with whatever fare Flik, HBA’s food service, has to offer. As the students roam the dining room in search of something to eat, eagleeyed cafeteria staff members stand by to assist their customers—and to make sure they are paying for the items they pick up.
Jensen Manuel, the head chef and manager for Flik Independent School Dining (FISD), notes that this has not always been the case. According to him, Flik has recorded an increasing amount of missing items from the cafeteria within the last two years. “There are a large variety of items that are stolen from the dining room including chips, musubis, ice cream, drinks, cookies, brownies and even the utensils,” Manuel explained.
The disappearance of such items, while they are stolen by individuals in small quantities, is noticeable. In addition to actually seeing students take food and utensils without paying, Manuel adds that Flik utilizes a daily inventory system to keep track of goods. “When reconciling our POS (point of sales) receipts, we can see if our sales match the items remaining on the floor,” Manuel said. There are several possible reasons for the increase in dining room thefts. The most common student explanation for stealing items is that Flik food is too expensive. One student who had stolen from the dining room explained his motive for stealing: “I was broke, and I was also hungry. Realistically I could have done better, but I was so desperate for food and just to eat something...” Another student reported that her lunch account is self-funded rather than parentsupported, so she is “too broke to pay” and has resorted to stealing before.
Despite this increase in theft as documented by Flik, vice principal Ryan Frontiera stated that his office has not necessarily seen a spate of students caught stealing. However, he points out that, in general, the price of Flik food is not completely insurmountable or unreasonable. “I understand that students may feel food is expensive…but if you go to any store or if you’re not buying something in bulk, stuff is really expensive,” Frontiera said. “And I think overall fixed prices are pretty fair for what they are, and they provide really good quality food and really good service. Plus a lot of the items are by no means required; no one needs gummy worms to get through a day,” Frontiera added.
According to Manuel, Flik strives to provide affordable options for students by offering food in a wide price range. According to the HBA High School Flik Price guide, the cheapest item is a “hand fruit” such as an apple, orange, or banana for $1.00. The most expensive item is a poke bowl for $9.00. Other food options include sandwiches ($4.25), hot lunch bowls ($8.50), cinnamon rolls ($5.50), and spam musubis ($2.25). (For comparison, musubis cost $1.95 at 7-Eleven and $2.79 at Foodland.) Manuel also noted that “the rising cost of inflation has had a significant impact on the cost of the ingredients and supplies for foods to be prepared, along with rising labor costs,” making it more challenging for Flik to maintain lower prices.
Another possible reason for the thefts, Frontiera observed, is that it is simply easy to do so. Students can effortlessly hide small food items on their way out of the cafeteria especially during peak times, stuffing cookies, drinks, or other snacks up sweatshirts and sleeves or hiding them under bigger purchases. The dining room is also arranged with open shelving and self-serve stations. “The cafeteria structure with a lot of items sitting out has probably made [theft] more prevalent or made it seem easier for some students to make bad choices in that sense,” Frontiera said.
To address the cafeteria’s susceptibility to theft, Flik has adjusted the layout of the dining room. “Some of the changes that we have made include limiting the amount of items that we have on display and available for people to purchase or take,” Manuel said. “For example, the spoons have been moved to the register now.” Students must now ask for a spoon when they purchase their meal rather than helping themselves. These modifications are not ideal for both HBA’s food service provider and the students. “We would love to showcase more items and have more variety of choices available for purchase. Our primary focus should be providing the best food service for the students and employees at HBA, but recently we have had to also be aware of loss prevention,” Manuel added.
Additional effects of inventory loss include an increase in product prices. For example, plastic utensils are among the most stolen items from Flik, though many students don’t consider taking utensils as theft. Senior Nicole Shibuya said, “It’s just a utensil. It’s not something [someone] labored at. It’s not like they had to cook it or bake it. It’s just a utensil you buy; that’s why I pay tuition.” However, although students are allowed to take an occasional utensil from the dining room, Manuel noted, “The utensils in the dining center are technically there for the purchasing customer.” When large quantities of utensils go missing without a paid meal accompanying them, Flik is forced to increase the price of products to alleviate the costs incurred on their end. Manuel explained that such action is particularly “due to Hawaii’s plastic law [because] the compostable utensils that are required cost more than the plastic utensils used in the past.” As such, Flik cannot afford to provide as many disposable utensils for non-paying customers, so paying customers ultimately foot the bill.
Addressing this problem requires Flik and HBA administration to work together. If a Flik staff member notices a theft taking place, they report the date, time, and item stolen to the administration for further investigation, as well as provide any security camera footage. On his end, Frontiera meets with the students involved to address the issue. “Those students [who steal] can get demerits or pay it back…Usually, we try and give them the chance to meet with the Flik staff and apologize if they know they’ve done something they shouldn’t,” he said.
Frontiera believes the process of addressing this behavior, which may appear harmless, is actually crucial to student development as it teaches them responsibility and how to live well in community. “[Theft] not something that’s going to change once [students] leave HBA. It’s also just wrong morally, and it’s against the law, and it’s stealing, and it impacts everyone in our school experience because, when things are stolen, then prices have to go up to kind of balance things out,” Frontiera said.
Manuel also added that Flik’s eagerness to tackle the issue of theft stems from more than just a business concern. “The team at Flik wants to align with the core values of HBA—humility, curiosity, love and commitment,” Manuel said. “While we may be viewed as a food service vendor, we also want to encourage and guide the students in a direction that will lead to future success and moral character.”
