The Commons Café has hiked prices during the current economically precarious situation brought forth by wars, disease, and government, and students who talked with the paper agreed to share their views pertaining to the unpredictable prices.
According to Commons Café archives, a slice of pizza in 2016 had a starting price of $2. By 2019, that price had reached a figure of $3.25. The price of this same slice of pizza later peaked in the 2024-25 season, tagged at a higher $3.95, before coming to rest at $3.65 this month. Other high-demand items such as milk and chips show similar increases from 2016 until this year.
Commons Café owner Felicia Lindholm says that the prices of different menu items fluctuate in coordination with the market price of a given food.
“Eggs in December were $120 for one 20 pound case, and now in March they are $53 for the same amount,” Lindholm said.
Prices are not only increasing at UPrep or even Seattle; this is a trend happening around the country. Lindholm pointed out that while the overall 2025 inflation rate, per the Bureau of Labor Statistics, was 2.8%, food prices specifically have had rapid spikes and dips.
“If you go in and dig through restaurant sites, you will find that food has increased by 22% just from September to January,” Lindholm said when asked about the rapid fluctuations in the prices of different foods, some of which are regular items for sale in the Commons Café.
Seventh grader Noah Hadley says that the Commons Café has done a great job interacting with kids in his UPrep tenure. However, when asked about his perspective on the prices, he voiced a concerned opinion.
“If I ran the cafe, drinks would be two dollars and food would be lowered by a dollar or two,” Hadley said.
Seventh grader Meghna Balakrishnan also thinks that the prices could be lowered, but
acknowledges the difficulties.
“I recognize how hard this must be for them to do, but I would obviously make the prices more visible, and maybe lower them a little too,” Balakrishnan said.
Meanwhile, Lindholm expresses concern that while students think the prices may be excessive, the cafe barely breaks even after taking into consideration wages, taxes, and leases. Lindholm also provided the business’ income.
“We pay all our bills on time, and pay our workers’ wages and time off,” Lindholm said, “and by the end of the month, there is no extra money to go around.”
Commons Café archived papers are shown below.