Dawg Diner at BHS shows off its makeover

BRIGHTON — Brighton High School’s Dawg Diner received a makeover this summer, and students returning to school on Aug. 18 will find more choices available to them at lunch time. 

Photo provided by Kevin Denke, 27J School District

Brighton High School’s Dawg Diner received a makeover this summer, and students returning to school Aug. 18 will find more choices available to them at lunch time.

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Over the summer, management of the diner transferred from the school’s DECA  program to the districts Nutrition Services Department and the diner received about $100,000 in upgrades to its kitchen equipment.

District spokesman Kevin Denke said after discussion with administrators, they felt it was a good time to make the transition.

“I think with all the new regulations of the Hunger-Free Kids Act, we felt it was a good time for Brighton High School to be within our nutrition program, so we can make sure all of our kids ... were being served at those standards,” he said. “Not to say they weren’t previously, but just having them all under the same umbrella of nutrition services.”

The high school’s DECA program has been serving students diner fare the last 10 years but with the change comes more offerings. Nutrition Services Director Tony Jorstad said they will be following all of the nutritional guidelines within the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act and that there will be a larger variety of food. 

According to Jorstad, students can expect to choose from about a dozen different options such as subs, salads and pizza. He said they will also have a bar where students will be able to build their own burritos, burgers or baked potatoes. 

Although the Nutrition Services Department will be managing the diner, Denke said they are not excluding the kids in DECA.

“The DECA kids are still going to be involved with what we’re doing now,” he said. “They’re going to be involved in food prep, safety, sanitation, marketing — because we want to let other kids within Brighton High School know that the program’s changed....That will be fun to see how it works out.”