John the Candy Man? Free French fries? The Commons serving sushi? Capitol Hill has always been a melting pot of diverse and exceptional food, and Prep is no exception. Dining at and around Prep has evolved greatly over the years, leaving each alumni class with a distinct high school culinary experience to savor in memory.
While health is now a priority for Prep lunches, it wasn’t always that way. “Pizza, burgers, candy, all crowd-pleasing favorites were among the most popular cafeteria options at Prep,” said Mrs. Lovejoy. In fact, there was even an entire table dedicated to selling candy. Mr. Engel said, “John the Candy Man used to sell the best candy where the cafeteria’s drink fridges now are.”
Prep emphasizes the importance of well-rounded students in regard to academic and extra-curricular activities; the cafeteria embodies this, prioritizing student nutrition and health in its food. Mr. Engel said, “Nutrition has come so far. I’m amazed at how incredible the food tastes while remaining healthy. In our day there wasn’t even a salad bar!”
Upperclassmen now flock to Capitol Hill lunch staples, like Pagliacci, Dick’s, and O’Maki, but according to Mrs. Lovejoy, a local burger joint on Eastlake called Daley’s used to be a fan-favorite among students. Mrs. Lovejoy said, “They even offered free fries for any Prep student.”
Speaking of restaurants around Prep, Pagliacci’s used to have a neighborhood pizza competitor. “Padrinos was a pizza place that used to be where O’Maki was. For only $5 you could get 2 slices and a drink,” said Ms. Newman.
While students today get their fill of fried chicken at Ezell’s or the cafeteria, that was not always the case. The Hop-In, a popular restaurant that specialized in fried chicken, offered incentives for students like Mr. Behrman to get their next fried chicken meal cheaper when they properly disposed of their plastic leftovers.
“People were there all the time. They had money fried chicken. You could buy apple juice and if you brought back the container, your next one was cheaper,” said Mr. Behrman.
After years of speculation over its future, The Hop-In closed like many neighborhood restaurants such as Daley’s and Padrino’s and was later replaced by restaurants that are easily recognizable for Prep’s current generation of students.
Prep’s lunch scene is constantly changing and looks a little bit different for each graduating class. It has been sprinkled with different restaurants and stirred around every few years, but there is no doubt it has always been delicious for the Seattle Prep community to enjoy.
