The cafeteria in the dieting episode

[TV Guy]

Definitely not the same one as in the later seasons. Tiny, and it looked ridiculous to only have the seven girls there. At least in the cafeteria seasons, they made an effort to have other girls in the background, though realistically, even that cafeteria was too small to serve hundreds of girls.

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by TV Guy

Definitely not the same one as in the later seasons. Tiny, and it looked ridiculous to only have the seven girls there. At least in the cafeteria seasons, they made an effort to have other girls in the background, though realistically, even that cafeteria was too small to serve hundreds of girls.

'80sSitcoms and I have talked about this, and of course you are right. As soon as I saw the topic title, I knew exactly what you'd say.

This is my fanwank: The real cafeteria was being remodeled in 1979-1980, and as a result, the girls had to eat in a smaller break room in that building meant for faculty. Students in other dorms ate in other break rooms as well. That's why there are only four tables, and why we see no other students in that room.

As for the S2-4 cafeteria, we may only be seeing half of it, and the other half is "behind the camera", along with the fourth wall. There's what? Ten tables in the cafeteria? We just may not be seeing more tables. If there were 20 tables at four students per table, the cafeteria would seat 100. There may have been more than one lunch shift (my school had three lunch shifts). If there were three lunch shifts, that is clearly enough for the small number of girls at Eastland. In "Graduation, Part 2", we see the graduating class is no more than 30 students. 30 x 7 (for the number of grades at Eastland) = 210 students.

['80sSitcoms]

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

This is my fanwank: The real cafeteria was being remodeled in 1979-1980, and as a result, the girls had to eat in a smaller break room in that building meant for faculty. Students in other dorms ate in other break rooms as well. That's why there are only four tables, and why we see no other students in that room.

Hmmm, or, each dorm could have had its own personal kitchen and cafeteria. After all, in "Like Mother, Like Daughter" and "Flash Flood" and "Dieting", you can say it's implied there is a kitchen in the building (the big cake, the pots to catch the rain water, and Mrs. Garrett trotting off to make Sue Ann her special rice pudding). So if you go by that theory, they just have a "dining room" off the kitchen in the dorms.

Now, I realize if they show a completely different exterior shot for the cafeteria than for the dorm, this is all shattered to shambles. I'm just saying it could be another theory. But RetroGuy I respect your fanwank because it could be that as well, and I myself love thinking up fanwanks to resolve unresolved issues in sitcoms, lol.

Originally Posted by RetroGuy2000

As for the S2-4 cafeteria, we may only be seeing half of it, and the other half is "behind the camera", along with the fourth wall. There's what? Ten tables in the cafeteria? We just may not be seeing more tables. If there were 20 tables at four students per table, the cafeteria would seat 100. There may have been more than one lunch shift (my school had three lunch shifts). If there were three lunch shifts, that is clearly enough for the small number of girls at Eastland. In "Graduation, Part 2", we see the graduating class is no more than 30 students. 30 x 7 (for the number of grades at Eastland) = 210 students.

Terrific analysis! And that's a great point about the cafeteria probably extending "toward us" behind the camera. Also, in the episode where Mrs. Garrett is obsessed with getting the bun warmer (lol, I use the word "obsessed" just for comic effect, haha), she defensively protests to Mr. Parker, about responsibility, "So is cooking for hundreds of girls!". If there are "hundreds" of girls at Eastland, then there must at least be 200, so 210 students is very feasible.

[RetroGuy2000]

Originally Posted by '80sSitcoms

Hmmm, or, each dorm could have had its own personal kitchen and cafeteria. After all, in "Like Mother, Like Daughter" and "Flash Flood" and "Dieting", you can say it's implied there is a kitchen in the building (the big cake, the pots to catch the rain water, and Mrs. Garrett trotting off to make Sue Ann her special rice pudding). So if you go by that theory, they just have a "dining room" off the kitchen in the dorms.

Oh, I definitely believe there is a kitchen in the S1 dorm! As you say, how else would they make the cake for Blair's original mother (before she was abducted by aliens and no one noticed )? It would make sense that each dorm building would have a kitchen. But the S1 room they are in looks like a staff break room to me. As TV Guys says, it's too small to be a cafeteria, and it sure couldn't support a whole school, unless there were only 75 students at Eastland.

Now, I realize if they show a completely different exterior shot for the cafeteria than for the dorm, this is all shattered to shambles.

The establishing shot for the S1 cafeteria/break room, at 12:21 in "Dieting", shows a building (or end of a building) covered in ivy, just like the dorm. It could be a different building, but it appears to be the same building that Mr. Bradley comes out of during his opening credit sequence, as the girls rush by, in the third version of the opening credits.

I myself love thinking up fanwanks to resolve unresolved issues in sitcoms, lol.

Oh, I know you do! And I definitely enjoy discussing these very pressing issues with other sitcom fans.

Terrific analysis! And that's a great point about the cafeteria probably extending "toward us" behind the camera.

I forgot to mention the 2001 reunion TV movie shows the Season 2/3/4/5 cafeteria briefly, and it does seem to extend a way past the pillars. Now, that's not likely the original set (the lighting is all wrong), but it's a reasonable facsimile. And that room definitely seats 100 at a time. If the FOL Reunion is canon, they must have had at least two lunch shifts, possibly three.

Also, in the episode where Mrs. Garrett is obsessed with getting the bun warmer (lol, I use the word "obsessed" just for comic effect, haha), she defensively protests to Mr. Parker, about responsibility, "So is cooking for hundreds of girls!". If there are "hundreds" of girls at Eastland, then there must at least be 200, so 210 students is very feasible.

Oh, there must have been at least 200 students, but probably not thousands (despite what Warren Littlefield thinks ). The Graduation scene was too small for a class of even 100 students, the cafeteria was too small for more than 700 students, and of course Eastland struggled financially by the late 1980s, indicating enrollments were down anyway.

Sure, Westlake, the school Eastland/Eastlake was modeled after, has 1,597 students, but that's after a merger with a boys' school, and they have two campuses now. Plus, it's in Los Angeles, not Peekskill, NY.

My middle school, which was a private school, was only 22 students (in two grades), and my middle school graduating class was 11. All the students could have easily fit into the Season One break room/cafeteria, although they would have needed a couple more tables.

[80s Dude]

The set in Season 1 was originally a sorority house for "Coed Fever". Thus it would have it's own kitchen like any other house. They should have used a different exterior for intro like a Greek house to make the interiors and exteriors match up.