REVIEW: A student’s guide to the Catlin Barn from breakfast, lunch, and everything in between
By Meret Pajkic ‘26
Painting of the Catlin Gabel Barn. Courtesy of Lexi Ye ‘26.
To the surprise of many Catlin campus visitors, the Barn is a cafeteria, filled with chattering children instead of miscellaneous farm animals. Over the years, Catlin’s cafeteria has taken on many – from Hen to Sage to Genuine Foods; as a result, many students find it hard to keep up with the ever-changing menu. This article is to act as your guide to the new–and possibly improved–Catlin Barn.
Although the Barn has many meal choices, for clarity, I have decided to focus on five food offerings: breakfast, the Grab n’ Go, rice bowls, hot lunch, and soups & salads. My method for evaluating these options is a 5-point scale—5 being the best, 1 the worst. Those five criteria are: taste, perceived quality, quantity, wait time, and variety.
For accuracy purposes, the scores shared below are comprehensive averages over a 2-week data collection period. To collect this data, I did something unheard of as an upperclassman: eating at the Barn every day and forsaking my off-campus driving privileges.
Oatmeal bar in the Barn. Photo by Meret Pajkic 26’
Breakfast
Breakfast is often considered the most important meal of the day. Whether you agree or disagree with this statement, I will be the first to say that the breakfast at the Barn is underrated.
A Barn breakfast can take one of three forms: oatmeal (admittedly the rarest of the pack), a bagel, or a yogurt bowl. The yogurt bowl is my personal favorite. I love the crunch of the granola in combination with the silky vanilla or vibrant strawberry yogurt.
Generally, all offerings are consistent in quality and taste, and I find them satisfying and satiating. Above all, these meals are easy to get because morning lines at the Barn are uncommon to the point of myth.
Needless to say, breakfast at the Barn gets the job done, and it’s a reliable option when you find yourself having just rolled out of bed, in desperate need of food to silence a growling stomach. That said, if oatmeal is what you crave, make sure you acquire this undercover gem before the clock strikes 8:30 am. The oatmeal station disappears in a flash.
Taste: 4
Quality: 4
Quantity: 5
Wait Time: 5
Variety: 3
Average of all Criteria: 4.2
Cereal, chips, and Welch’s in the Grab n’ Go. Photo by Meret Pajkic ‘26.
2. Grab n’ Go
The Grab n’ Go is more well-known, causing Upper Schoolers in particular to cross their fingers, hoping the middle schoolers haven’t eaten all its goodies. If you are lucky enough to snag a snack before the above-mentioned ravenous middle schoolers, the range of foods in the Grab-and-Go is diverse.
The Grab n’ Go has a snack for everyone. From hot foods such as fries to cold entrees like pasta salads, as well as pre-packaged chips and Welch’s Fruit Snacks, it is a great option for when I am in need of a quick pick-me-up between classes.
That being said, as Kate Austria ‘30 pointed out in our interview, “From last year, it feels like they [Genuine Foods] offer less food now in the Grab-and-Go, both in selection and quantity.” I agree with this assessment, having mourned the loss of choices such as sushi and pastries for the last few months.
Through my research —which, admittedly, is mostly just my taste buds —I have also concluded that some options are just better than others. For instance, I regularly veer away from pasta salads and towards chips, based on perceived quality and overall taste.
Nevertheless, the Grab n’ Go is again a reliable force within the Barn, evident by the many students who can be seen walking around with chip bags or orders of tater tots. Sporting a convenience store-esque design, the Grab n’ Go seldom has a wait time of over two minutes, making it an easily accessible and time-efficient resource that Catlin students should take advantage of.
Taste: 4
Quality: 3
Quantity: 3
Wait Time: 4
Variety: 4
Average of all Criteria: 3.6
Rice Bowl from the Barn. Photo by Meret Pajkic ‘26.
3. Rice Bowl
Who doesn’t love a good rice bowl? A relatively recent addition to the Barn menu, the rice bowl quickly gained popularity, rising to one of my personal favorite lunch dishes. An alternative to the hot lunch, the rice bowl provides students with a predictable yet personalizable, tasty meal.
Nonetheless, some disagree with my opinion statement. Austria ‘30 expressed that “the rice bowls aren't nearly as good as they were last year.” Although this might have been true towards the beginning of the school year, I personally write off this slight dip in quality as being start-of-the-year jitters. I am, time and time again, more than impressed with the caliber of the rice bowls served at the Barn.
Still, if I were to voice one apprehension regarding the rice bowls, it would be the wait time. Last year, I was able to bypass the lengthy line leading into the Barn by paying at the rice bowl station via an iPad. Now, though, the system has changed.
I find myself standing in line for a painfully long period of time, due to the fact that bowls are handed out by Genuine Food workers at the hot lunch station, where students pay and later make their way to the rice bowl station. It is inconvenient and frustrating, marring the overall rice bowl experience.
Taste: 5
Quality: 5
Quantity: 5
Wait Time: 2
Variety: 4
Average of all Criteria: 4.2
Barn chicken noodle soup with oyster crackers. Photo by Meret Pajkic ‘26.
4. Soup and Salads
This year, to the excitement of many, including myself, the salad bar has officially been fully revitalized, alongside the fan favorite soup station that has been going strong for years.
In terms of soups, the Barn commonly offers chicken noodle and tomato soup. I find both the soups to be tasty, but chicken noodle takes the cake, with a great blend of spices and a commendable noodle-to-soup ratio.
Nevertheless, the portions are small. I never find myself fully satiated after a cup. I’d personally recommend increasing the size of the soup container to upgrade this side from an entrée to a meal.
The same rings true for the salad, which I view as a side, rather than a meal. Yet, to purchase this side, you are still required to wait in the ever-daunting line for hot lunch, a reality that can be exasperating when all I want is a small bowl of soup to snack on.
However, in terms of variety, the salad bar is home to many different vegetables and toppings, including protein for all the gym bros hoping to bulk up. I often utilize the salad bar, curating a cute side to go alongside my main meal.
I would describe both the soup station and salad bar as assets to the Barn, giving Catlin students another item on the proverbial menu to improve their overall lunch experience.
Taste: 5
Quality: 5
Quantity: 2
Wait Time: 2
Variety: 3
Average of all Criteria: 3.4
Mac and cheese with a side of broccoli served at the Barn. Photo by Meret Pajkic ‘26.
5. Hot Lunch
The hot lunch should arguably be the star of the show, though I feel it often falls short of expectations. An anonymous Catlin student voiced their concern for this meal option in the survey I conducted within the Catlin community, in which 15 students responded. They wrote that “they [the Barn workers] repeat dishes that are not as popular instead of the meals that are widely liked by students.”
This reality has displeased me as well, showing how the Barn fails to incorporate student feedback. The wait time is often extenuating, with students standing in line for upwards of 10-15 minutes. Therefore, if you have a meeting during lunch, the hot lunch will probably not be your friend.
This is not to say that some meals are not delicious. The penne pasta with bolognese sauce, for example, is consistently good. A strategy I have begun to employ is referencing the weekly menu, which can be found on Veracross. Using this is helpful as they clearly state all meal offerings for the week, allowing me to pick which options sound tasty and the days I will pivot away from the hot lunch.
Additionally, I commend the Barn for being accommodating towards different eating preferences. There are always vegan and vegetarian alternatives available for students. I have tried the vegetarian offer specifically and found it to be of the same quality, if not better than the meat version.
Moreover, Kirsten Wenzel, the head chef at the Barn, also mentioned in our interview that, due to Catlin being a nut-free campus, all foods prepared in the Barn are nut-free. Again, this shows how the Barn is working towards supporting Catlin students through food.
Although I think the hot lunch is definitely the most inconsistent of the Barn offerings, at the same time, it has the most potential. I hope to continue seeing improvements in its dependability as a food option for Catlin Students.
Taste: 3
Quality: 3
Quantity: 5
Wait Time: 2
Variety: 5
Average of all Criteria: 3.6
Students lining up to get lunch at the Barn. Photo by Meret Pajkic ‘26.
The Barn is central to the Catlin community and should be a place where students can confidently go to receive well-made food that fuels them throughout the day. As mentioned above, since the Barn leadership is constantly changing, it can be difficult to know how to capitalize on its offerings.
As a final thought, here is my quick summary of what I gave each barn offering out of five. The breakfast bar received an overall score of 4.2, the Grab n’ Go a 3.6, the rice bowl station a 4.2, the soup and salad bar a 3.4, and lastly, the hot lunch a 3.6.
I hope this review helps give you context on how to make the Barn work for your needs as a Catlin student. If not, just take this article as food for thought. Good day and good eating!