As students entered the cafeteria after a long summer break, they encountered newly remodeled floors and a mysterious—unfinished—coffee bar. This “coffee shop” is not an abandoned improvement project, but the beginning of the cafeteria’s long-awaited remodel.
“The R.A.D. team is very passionate about supporting education and the district. Because of this, we give the maximum funding allowable to the general fund each year and support district and campus initiatives within the federal guidelines,” Seminole County Red Apple Dining director Jamie DeVivo said.
The cafeteria’s renovation is a micro-restaurant from Red Apple Dining and their corporate partner Barnies’s— a local coffee and tea company, called Filtered. The remodeling process started at the end of the last school year and was meant to be completed before school started. However, in late June the school was notified that the counters for the micro-restaurant would not be received due to a supply issue on the manufacturer’s end. Still, the shop is set to open in January.
“I was initially super confused about the [renovation], but I ended up ignoring it because I figured it was included in the new school policies,” senior Grace Dean said. “Now, I’m pretty excited to know it will be a coffee shop. I’m glad that Hagerty is taking what students want into account.”
Red Apple Dining is one of a few departments in Seminole County Public Schools not funded by the state. Their budgets are determined by the funds collected from student meals. With the partnership of the federal National School Lunch Program, they are able to provide the meals to students who have meal benefits, because of this the funds are restricted on how they can be used.
All funds for the dining renovation come directly from Red Apple Dining, but their initiatives do not stop there. Since 2016, R.A.D. has funded different elementary, middle and high schools across the county that have been upgraded with dining facilities and other installments. Now, this initiative has reached Hagerty.
Although Hagerty will not be able to get the full renovation that includes the five micro-restaurants laid out in a food court style, they will still be the first to try the food from Filtered without needing the full renovation. Since the school wanted the seating capacity to stay as it was, engineers concluded that the left corner of the cafeteria was the best area to use
The micro-restaurant is set to feature a variety of food such as salads, sandwiches, yogurt parfaits, hummus boxes and fruits, all of which will be sold at the price of $3.75. Filtered will also sell beverages that can be accessed both in the morning and during lunch, including hot coffee, iced tea and lemonade for $1.75, hot chocolate for $2.50, Nitrous cold brew for $2.95 and hot latte and espresso-based beverages for $3.25. They will also offer a selection of sugar-free flavors that can be added to cold or hot beverages for an additional 50¢ and seasonal offers for both food and beverages. All meals and drinks will be managed through Myschoolbucks. Students who receive meal benefits will also have access to all food and drink selections at Filtered.
“We were kind of fortunate—it was our turn to get something done,” principal Robert Frasca said. “Even though our building won’t really be big enough to sustain what the full renovation looks like, [Red Apple Dining] wanted to make sure that we got something that our students would be excited about.”
