It’s a Tuesday in the cafeteria during 2nd lunch, and Jack Bedard ‘25 and Bea Lighthiser ‘24 rush to get their hot lunch before the line arrives. Students surrounding them look at them expectantly, anticipating their rating of that day’s lunch on @mohi_munchies on Instagram.
Bedard and Lighthiser, the students behind @mohi_munchies, bond over rating school lunches every day.
Since November of 2023, their account has gained over 300 followers, and it has made a noticeable impact on Monarch’s lunch culture.
“We have hot lunch together every day,” Lighthiser said. “And every day we started to build opinions about it.”
Not only do Bedard and Lighthiser like to rate the lunch, but they also like to show Monarch its potential.
“You can make any lunch good with the fixins; that’s why they put it out there,” Bedard said. “I see people in the halls, and they get the Nashville hot chicken sandwich, and they don’t put secret sauce and pickles on it.”
Bedard feels that students who call the hot lunch “bland” or “dry” aren’t using it to its full potential.
The account isn’t just followed by students.
“On our story the other day, we posted something about there being no lettuce left, and apparently the produce truck had gotten in a crash.” Lighthiser said. “We get a little deeper look into the hot lunch, which I love.”
Bedard and Lighthiser believe they have made an impact on the lunch culture of Monarch, which is far from their original plan. They also feel that this new aspect to their daily lunch routine has strengthened their friendship.
“It’s important to us to have that hot lunch time every day,” Bedard said.