The One Team Wagon (OTW) is a prominent source of food here on ‘Iolani’s campus. The meals are known for their great quality and satisfaction, hence the high prices. The wagon has been present on campus for about four years and always has been an in-demand site where students and faculty purchase lunch. Its original purpose was to shorten the lines in the Student Center, but has exceeded the expectations by providing lunches that the ‘Iolani community looks forward to once it is announced on the daily bulletin.
The wagon first came about in February of 2019, right before COVID-19 had hit. The One Team Wagon is settled in an entirely separate location relative to the Student Center, which lessens the Student Center’s crowd. But the wagon was not only established to minimize the crowd in the cafeteria. Mr. Wada, ‘Iolani’s Sodexo General Manager, stated, “Instead of the same meals in a different location, we thought out of the box, what to do to create excitement. We came up with a concept of trying to make foods that could cost more but would be more cool.” Their objective was met, for students, faculty and staff hurry for a spot in line. The wagon was a fitting addition to campus, especially because a food wagon is not seen often in a school environment.
The wagon is known for many of its meals. The most well-known meals include salmon on penne pasta, pork adobo, street style chicken tacos and Korean BBQ tacos. “All the tacos we do are popular,” Mr. Wada said. Because of the six week menu cycle the OTW runs on, popular meals are only seen once in about two months, therefore creating long lines. Ella Aoki ’27 has been purchasing lunches from the OTW since the seventh grade. “My favorite was the salmon pasta, but over the years it has changed to western burger,” she mentions.
When it comes to lunch time, it can be difficult to get a meal, especially if everyone wants to buy. In some cases, students go before or during class periods to beat the line. If students wait until lunch starts at 12:15, the line is likely to be long depending on what is served that day, and there is a risk that all the meals have already been served. Ella supports this by saying, “For me, it can be hard sometimes when it’s a good lunch because you have to go during the period before lunch, but most times I don’t have a free period beforehand.” Mr. Wada added, “We can only serve so many meals. A lot of things we do there, people seem to enjoy, which is a good thing.” On a positive note, long lines show that the wagon is serving the ‘Iolani campus well. One of the only circumstances where one cannot buy OTW lunch is when they have a negative balance that goes over -$10. Several students complain about the high prices but considering how the wagon foods are a creative alternative from the traditional cafeteria foods, perhaps the prices are reasonable. “[‘Iolani’s food department] determines the pricing, but we also discuss it with the school and administration, such as Mr. Gushiken.” Mr. Gushiken is the Chief Financial Officer at ‘Iolani School. The prices have been discussed by a number of people, further proving the validity of the cost.
The One Team Wagon has become a food source that the ‘Iolani students, faculty and staff can look forward to everyday. Looking past the common inconveniences, our campus is fortunate to have an additional location that provides us with delicious meals that weren’t present over four years ago.
