40 Minutes or Less

Phelan Castellano, Junior In-Depth Editor|February 15, 2014

[untitles photo of Qdoba logo].Retreived February 2, 2014, from:http://989design.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/qdoba_color_logo_1_2-2.jpg

Does lunch time ever feel like it is too short? Well, Air Academy’s juniors and seniors have always had trouble going off to lunch and getting back in time for class. With the help of some diligent research, we have found the five best restaurants that students can go to and get back to school within 40 minutes or less.

The Commissary on base is a great place to start. Students can get nearly any type of food and get back to school to enjoy their lunch. But, the down side to that is that in order to buy from the Commissary, the buyer must have a military ID. Once you find a friend who has a military ID, or if you have one yourself, the overall trip takes 10 minutes, on average, which is an outstanding time compared to going off base for lunch.

Jimmy Johns is also a great place to go, and no military ID is needed. Jimmy Johns is located right next to the Chapel Hills Mall, on Chapel Hills Dr., or directly diagonal from Steak n’ Shake. Considering their motto is “Freaky Fast Delivery,” they also have a freaky fast drive-thru. The trek from the school and back takes 33 minutes, on average, which makes it right in the nick of time for 4th block. For all the sandwich lovers out there, Jimmy John’s is a great place to eat for lunch.

Steak n’ Shake is our next stop on the list. With an assortment of burgers to choose from, students usually go there to get their great shakes, which they are known for. Also, the price is very surprising, in a good way. Steak n’ Shake is located on Chapel Hills Dr., across from Jimmy John’s and the Chapel Hills Mall. The drive from the school and back takes 35 minutes, on average, which is nothing to complain about. Whenever you are in the mood for some delicious “diner style” food, Steak n’ Shake is the place to go.

[untitled photo of Burger King logo].Retreived February 2, 2014, from:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/3/3a/Burger_King_Logo.svg/300px-Burger_King_Logo.svg.png
[untitled photo of Burger King logo].Retreived February 2, 2014, from:http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en
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Are you ever in the mood for a great Mexican burrito? Well, when you are, Qdoba is the place to go. Qdoba is located on Academy Blvd., right across the shopping complex from Home Depot. It may seem like a fairly far drive, but the workers inside of the restaurant are very quick when making the burrito, which makes the drive nearly the same as going through a drive-thru. The journey takes 33 minutes, on average, which happens to be much quicker than many students would think. But just remember that the next time you eat at Qdoba, their free student drinks are no longer available, unless you have a military ID.

Burger King is also a fan favorite. Being on base, Burger King attracts the attention to the students who do not have time to travel off base for lunch, but do not want to eat in the school cafeteria. Burger King is located right up the road, near the Commissary and the prep school gym. A great plus to it is that they do not have taxes on base. The trip takes 20 minutes, on average. The next time you are crammed on time, but still need lunch, Burger King is a great local restaurant to go to.

Since lunch is only from 11:50, to 12:35, there are only 45 minutes, including passing periods, to get your food and come back for class. The restaurants stated above are a few of the many places to eat on Academy Blvd., and on base, which take no more than 40 minutes to go to and come back, including Chick-Fil-A, Wendy’s, etc. So the next time you and your friends are craving something other than school food for lunch, try out one of these places which only take 40 minutes or less.