As the 10:24 bell rings, hundreds of students rush out of the Green Hope parking lot and flock to the most popular nearby restaurants like Chick-fil-A or Bojangles nearly daily. While this seems repetitive and boring, having a wide variety of places for lunch proves quite difficult, especially considering the time constraints and budget for most high school kids.
The GH Falcon staff compiled a list of the best lunch spots to go to that aren’t super popular, to provide kids with more quick and inexpensive options for every week.
Char-Grill
Around Green Hope, there aren’t many places to find a good burger. In fact, after ruling out super popular fast food places like McDonald’s, there’s only one option: Char Grill. Char Grill offers tasty burgers, chicken sandwiches and more old-school diner foods that are more affordable than most other restaurants. Additionally, Char Grill is situated about eight minutes from campus and orders will typically be finished in less than five minutes.
Jimmy John’s
As students only have 55 minutes to drive to their lunch spot, eat and drive back to school, they need something freaky fast; fortunately, this is Jimmy John’s catchphrase. Located a mere five minutes away in Stone Creek Village, it’s the closest sub shop to Green Hope with the quickest service. Many high schoolers don’t have a large budget to spend on lunch which is why Jimmy John’s is a great option as their subs are priced at $5.50.
Bruegger’s Bagel
Since lunch starts at 10:24, many high school students opt for a breakfast or brunch meal during Green Hope’s lunch break. Since Chick-fil-A, the resounding favorite, ends their breakfast service at 10:30, students usually attempt to find other options, Bruegger’s is the best. Between breakfast sandwiches and a wide array of bagels that are all priced at less than ten dollars, Bruegger’s offers plenty of options for the breakfast lovers of Green Hope.
Harris Teeter
While not many people think of a grocery store as a restaurant, Harris Teeter has many ready-to-go meals that are extremely accessible. From sushi to salads, there is a wide variety of options to choose from. On top of that, Harris Teeter is a five-minute drive from Green Hope and it’s rarely crowded as no one thinks to visit a grocery store during their lunch break.
CAVA
A switch up from Chipotle and Moe’s, CAVA provides a similar build-your-own bowl experience but with Mediterranean cuisine instead of Mexican. By offering a wide variety of meats, toppings and sauces, all with a fresh and healthy taste, CAVA is a favorite for many students but is barely visited during lunch. Despite being just under 15 minutes from Green Hope, in Park West Village, and being $10.67 for a bowl, CAVA will yield the largest amount of food and the highest quality of this list.
Instead of going to the same lunch place every day, trying new restaurants will prevent the overcrowding of typical locations. Branching out from the few Green Hope staple restaurants yields not only happier students but also a more efficient lunch for everyone.
