Tiger Den, the cafe beloved by students and the cause for many hall passes being written, will be reopening next Tuesday, but it’s coming with some changes. 

The most prominent change is in how students can access the cafe during the school day. Students will now have designated days to access Tiger Den based on their grade level, rather than being able to go any day during first and second hour like last year.

Freshmen, sophomores, and juniors are allocated one day a week for visiting Tiger Den, while seniors have access on Mondays and Fridays. 

Interim Principal Alex Fox says that the change was made in order to decrease hallway traffic during instructional time.

“We had a little bit of an issue the past couple of years with the amount of kids in hallways,” Fox said. “So we’re looking to reduce that by creating a standardized schedule that everybody’s going to follow.”

While administration thinks the new schedule will be beneficial for Tiger Den and the school, students are not in favor of the changes.

“I think the changing of what days certain grades are going to be able to go is going to hurt them a lot,” junior Atlas Gallaher said. 

Students won’t be completely denied from Tiger Den on days they aren’t allotted, however. According to a Schoology post by the school, teachers will have the option to place bulk orders for all students in their class and have them delivered to the classroom.

Administration is optimistic about the positive impact the schedule changes will have on the classroom this year.

“I’m hopeful that the changes will be effective in making sure kids are in class… we’re not losing a lot of instructional time to everybody asking for Tiger Den,” said Fox. 

Students will be able to go to Tiger Den before school for a variety of breakfast foods, treats and drinks; however, the menu will be different from last year. According to Kayla Magruder, who oversees Tiger Den, the menu will include healthier options and high-protein breakfast items.

“Donuts and cinnamon rolls are great, but they’re not as good for your brain and body,” Mrs. Magruder said. “So I’m allowing for some more options for students who want more protein and healthier options.

The new menu additions are being received more positively than the schedule changes, and some students are looking forward to the new items.

“I am excited to see some of the breakfast options that they’re going to put out,” senior Caroline James said. “A lot of times I forget to have breakfast, and I don’t think coffee and cookies is a great way to start the day.”

Despite the incoming changes, EHS students are looking forward to Tiger Den’s return. In a recent survey, 97.5% of respondents said they were excited for the cafe to reopen. 

The majority of the excitement around Tiger Den’s opening stems from their varied drink menu, which includes coffee, cold drinks and frozen drinks. In the survey, 40.6% of respondents said that their favorite part of the cafe was the drink menu.

Tiger Den’s staff are also eager to open up and are hopeful about how the changes will impact their sales, which are important to the cafe since it’s completely self-funded. 

“I’m hoping it doesn’t impact the sales, but we’re always super excited to get going again,” Magruder said.