- Due to federal regulations, the Tiger’s Loft Bistro will only serve faculty starting next semester.
by Samantha Libraty
Starting second semester, the Tiger’s Loft Bistro, this school’s student-run restaurant, will be closed to students and only open for faculty and staff, culinary arts teacher Bill O’Neill wrote in a faculty-wide email.
The Tiger’s Loft Bistro currently does not comply with federal regulations regarding reimbursement to public school systems for free and reduced lunch, career and vocational technical education director Diana Robbins wrote in a faculty-wide email. The federal regulations state that a “you cannot have a competing food facility that serves students and generates revenue on the same premises,” she said.
“We have been non-compliant for a long time, and while I have repeatedly questioned the regulations given the small number of student we serve, we have been informed that we are not allowed to serve lunch to students in the Tiger’s Loft Bistro.”
The Tiger’s Loft Bistro is also looking to open to the general public in the near future, Robbins said.
“But for now, I encourage faculty and staff to enjoy the wonderful menus the students work so hard to create and prepare,” she said.
More details to follow.