Stories

This fall, Charlotte Prep is proud to open The Lair, our brand-new dining hall inside the new lower school building. With an expanded kitchen, modern equipment, and a beautifully designed dining space, mealtime at Prep has leveled up for both students and staff.

The Lair features an expansive, open-concept kitchen with many new appliances, including a walk-in refrigerator, a convection steamer, a holding oven, and more. These upgrades mean fresher ingredients, better variety, and hot meals served efficiently each day.

With more real estate to serve food, students have expanded options to match their tastes and needs. The new kitchen has added:

• A second hot line offering daily entree options
   
• A deli bar in addition to our well-loved salad bar
   
• A grab-and-go refrigerator for packaged meals and drinks
   
• A self-serve beverage station with ice, tea, coffee, and flavored waters

Thanks to the installation of a high-temperature dishwashing machine, Prep has moved away from disposable products. Students now enjoy meals on reusable plates, bowls, cutlery, and cups, helping us reduce waste and practice our values of environmental stewardship. This also provides a great lesson in responsibility, as students bus their own dishes and clean up after themselves.

Reusable dishes are now standard at Prep.

The dining area itself is just as impressive as the food—with its seamless connection to Pappy’s Porch, our spacious outdoor dining patio. This new gathering space extends The Lair into the open air. Together, Pappy's Porch and The Lair bring our community together over meals and other meaningful gatherings.

Pappy's Porch offers an elevated and shaded area for eating and convening with vistas stretching out over our campus, across the playground, and to the park beyond. Inside, The Lair features flexible seating options, three glass walls, soaring ceilings with modern light fixtures, and a top-of-the-line AV system and projector to support everything from staff meetings to movie nights.

With so many options and an inspiring new space, there’s never been a better time to participate in Prep’s dining program. Make sure to sign up for a meal plan before the deadline of September 5.