In 2021, the unveiling of the Mustang Mug sparked joy and excitement among students, with the community style ‘cafe’ appealing to tired and hungry teenagers who could enjoy affordable snacks and drinks between classes.
After its initial opening, the “Mug,” as it is commonly known, has opened and closed sporadically due to issues with hiring food service workers. The Mug opened in February after six months of closure because the cafeteria was understaffed.
The Mug is run by food service staff who rotate between operating the cafeteria and the Mug. However, when food services face staff shortages, priority is given to the cafeteria. The closure results in upset students and staff who rely on the Mug for their meals.
“It’s so annoying that the Mug was closed for so long, but at the same time I am glad it opened because I don’t eat breakfast in the morning so I literally go and get something every single day after Stable,” senior Muriel Anderson commented.
Food Service Director Richard Kane manages staff and hiring for the cafeteria in cooperation with Principal Peter Laub. Mr. Kane works to notify Principal Laub about possible closures or changes to the Mug or cafeteria.
“We work with him like it’s collaborative, but he tells me what’s going to be for lunch. He sets the prices. He’s sort of like a shop within a school,” Principal Laub noted.
At the beginning of the 2026-27 school year, a post on Schoology noted that the Mustang Mug would be closed temporarily. However it took until Feb. 3 for the Mug to reopen for the year.
“For the last couple of years we would get notes sometimes if they had an employee out, Mr. Kane would let us know…and we would post on Schoology,” Principal Laub explained.
However, Mr. Kane recognized the difficulties in opening the Mug due to staffing shortages.
“It is not a new issue. It is always a challenge hiring employees. We live in a very affluent area, which makes it hard to get people…our staff is mostly part time and everybody wants full time,” he noted.
Since food service positions are part time, workers will often alternate between working in transportation and in the cafeteria.
“We even share staff with transportation so they can get full time hours…which makes it kind of difficult because nobody wants to work between two departments,” Mr. Kane explained.
This challenge is not unique to Meridian, and can be tied to a downward trend in hiring food service workers nationwide. In 2024, UC Berkeley conducted a study featuring their findings on the issue. “The number of food service workers has declined over the past decade, although not uniformly across states.”
“It’s a nationwide issue, transportation and food services across the country are having a hard time retaining and attracting employees,” Mr. Kane indicated.
The study notes how these issues are largely a result of the job’s low wages, often disproportionate with increasing living costs.
“A lot of it is because it is not a living wage. Falls Church has done things to address that, but still, a lot of employees come here thinking that it’s going to be heat and serve, and we cook a lot from scratch cooking, where Fairfax and other schools do not.”
The starting salary for a food service worker at FCCPS is $16.62/hr, which is slightly below national average of $17.45/hr as outlined by data collected by ZipRecruiter.
Mr. Kane is working to address the staffing shortages to keep both the Mug and cafeteria operating efficiently. While a solution of allocating student volunteers to the Mug has been discussed, it is not an option because the registers contain student records which are off limits to students.
“I still have two other individuals in the pipeline going through the HR process. So once those individuals come aboard, I don’t anticipate the Mug being shut. It’s only shut now if someone calls out sick.”
While these problems are being addressed at Meridian, the issue raises questions over the future of food service workers nationwide as tariffs and inflation cause spikes in the cost of living, showing how food service may not be a viable career choice anymore.
