Punahou seniors have many choices when they leave campus during the school day. Most say they go to Manoa Marketplace, while others grub at a variety of other spots. 

Earlier this semester, 25 seniors were sampled. All of them were asked, “Where did you last go off campus during the school day?” 

44% of surveyed seniors said they went to Manoa Marketplace, with the most popular spot at Manoa Marketplace being Subway, followed by Manoa Sushi and Starbucks.

20% of seniors said they went to Ala Moana for shopping or eating, with the most popular spot being Raising Cane’s. 

Other off campus destinations include “my friend’s house”, “my house”, Starbucks, and Waikiki.

Senior Maddie Pitts shared where she went last: “Manoa Marketplace or Chick-fil-a because of supporting locals or for convenience.” Many others echoed similar reasons as to why they went to Manoa Marketplace or other nearby restaurants.

Manoa Marketplace is about an 8-minute drive from Punahou and offers a variety of cheap, quick options like Times, McDonald’s, Off-the-hook, Subway, Starbucks, Andy’s, Manoa Sushi, and more. 

After being told that 44% of polled seniors go to Manoa Marketplace, Academy English Teacher Mr. Comstock explained, “It doesn’t surprise me at all. I rarely go off campus, but when I do, it’s almost always Manoa Marketplace. Sometimes I just run to Safeway for a sandwich, but other times I hit up the French bakery [Fendu]. They have a really good tart. Other times when I just need to grab something for advisory, and I don’t want to run to Walmart, I go to Longs Drugs.”

Senior Maddie Pitts agreed with Mr. Comstock, saying, “I love Manoa Marketplace, the French bakery [Fendu], but my favorite is Leahi Health.”

Beyond just convenience, some go off campus for social aspects in order to hang out with friends. “Yeah, I normally go off campus to hang out with friends, either going to someone’s house or to eat somewhere,” explained Nick Nunnari 26’. He added, “I go to Parker & Hayden Noland’s house to hang out, sometimes playing video games like 2k. It’s about 5 minutes from Punahou, which makes it really easy [to get to].”

Others cite a need for more variety as a reason for going off campus.

Gianni ‘26 explained, “Sometimes they have good food like orange chicken. I really like that, and I like how you can choose your own portions.” In defense of the cafeteria, he said, “I’ve been here really long, like since Kindergarten, so [the food] gets repetitive.”