The beginning of the 2026-2027 school year brought new modifications to the cafeteria menu for Granada Hills Charter (GHC). After years of serving Papa John’s, the cafeteria has switched to Pizza Hut. Pepperoni pizza has also returned to the menu after being removed a few years ago. This brand replacement, explained by cafeteria manager Vanda McLaughlin, was made as the cafeteria was looking for something new.
“We were looking for change and Pizza Hut had the lowest price,” McLaughlin said. “There is a bid procedure that we follow.”
This lower bid meant that GHC could get same-sized pizza for a cheaper price from Pizza Hut. Thus, Pizza Hut was selected after offering the lowest bid, ending Papa John’s contract with GHC. For students though, the change only mattered to their preference.
“I love the brand change,” senior Cadence Chang said. “Everything about the Pizza Hut pizza is so much better than the Papa John’s pizza. It’s so much saucier.”
For others though, the change didn’t make a huge difference.
“I’m happy and also neutral about the change from Papa John’s to Pizza Hut,” sophomore Ethaniel Means said. “I personally don’t think that it was a huge change, but I do believe it was a good one.”
Alongside this switch in pizza companies, students noticed an even larger change: the return of pepperoni, a topping that had been removed from the lunch menu a few years ago.
“The previous manager wanted to remove the pepperoni due to it being a pork based meat,” Mclaughlin said. “We have had many requests for the pepperoni pizza to return.”
The return of this classic topping excited students who wanted the topping as an option on the menu.
“I’m overly joyed for the return of pepperoni pizza,” senior Carys Chow said. “When they took it away my freshman year I was so sad because that meant I only had veggie pizza as a regular every day. Now that pepperoni is back, I’m much more willing to eat cafeteria food.”
Chow isn’t alone in her thoughts about pepperoni, either.
“The return of pepperoni pizza is another positive change as it caters more to students’ lunch preferences,” senior Nick Dockry said.
The return of pepperoni has therefore added another enjoyable option students now have, giving them access to a flavor more popular than cheese.
