The bell rings. It’s finally lunch time. The rush of students flood the narrow hallways. Half of the kids flee the campus towards a nearby delight. Montecito Plaza. A place that has everything, grocery stores and restaurants alike. It is filled with the daily herd of students trying to get a bite to eat and community members doing their daily shopping. 

“I get lunch there every single day… Puentez and Trader Joes,” Megan Murphy, a SRHS junior, stated as she was leaving campus for lunch.

Now going back a year or so, the Covid-19 pandemic has prevented the public from going out for simple luxuries such as dining out, school events, and grocery shopping. Restaurants all around San Rafael had to temporarily close down or move to only take out and delivery options. The day-to-day flood of students and teachers from SRHS to Montecito Plaza had trickled down and the parking lot seemed to empty more and more. 

The first official stay-at-home order, put in place on March 17th, 2020, was projected to last three weeks. Those first three weeks ended up spanning over multiple months. The stay-at-home order went back and forth between what businesses could be open and what restrictions were put in place.

Aldo Hernandez, the owner of Puentez Burritos at Montecito Plaza, said, “We were going to stay open, we were built for to-go anyways.” 

Puentez Burritos is a popular spot for most students to frequent during lunch. The accessibility of their take-out and delivery helped them stay stable throughout the stay-at-home orders. 

“As more businesses shut down, especially the dine-in places, we were able to pick up the business,” Mr. Hernandez said. 

Gwen Pikkarainen, a science teacher at SRHS and frequent visitor to Trader Joes and occasionally Puentez Burritos stated, “They are the best burritos in town.”

In San Rafael, Montecito Plaza is well known for its family businesses and popularity among adults and kids. Students of SRHS are frequent visitors to the plaza. Without the flow of students and teachers into Montecito, it appears that some of the family businesses had struggled. 

“There were a few moments we thought it might be better to be closed,” Tommy Tran, the co-owner of Bagel Street Cafe in Montecito Plaza, shared in an email. 

Since schools are back in session, students are slowly making their way back into the community. The SRHS campus holds 1,394 students and staff, spending most of their weekdays less than 0.1 miles away from Montecito Plaza. 

“I think having school back in session helps the community feel “normal” which I think makes people want to be out and support their local small businesses,” said Mr. Tran.

As everyone ventures back into a daily routine of socializing and spending money, they simultaneously support local businesses. In San Rafael, these businesses live in Montecito Plaza. 

Mr. Tran said, “The support from students and teachers are a huge part of our business. Especially being so close to the school.”