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LETTER: CANTEEN MONEY: WHEN DID A CAMP SNACK TURN INTO A FULL RESTAURANT BILL?
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LETTER: CANTEEN MONEY: WHEN DID A CAMP SNACK TURN INTO A FULL RESTAURANT BILL?

Are camp canteens out of control

AdminAugust 17, 2026

Canteen money has been part of summer camp forever. It was always a fun part of camp a chance for kids to buy some snacks, drinks, candy, or ice cream. Then some camps started adding hot pretzels, pizza, and a few other extras.

But I think we’ve taken it way too far.

My son’s camp canteen now has sandwiches, sushi, hot poppers, onions rings , and more. We gave him $150 for half the summer, and by week three, it was gone. He told us that plenty of boys in his bunk had spent even more.

First of all, we already pay a lot of money for camp. Camp should be providing good, filling meals and enough snacks that kids aren’t relying on canteen food because they’re hungry.

Second, parents need to remember what canteen was supposed to be: a treat, not another meal plan. A kid getting an ice cream or a drink is one thing. Spending hundreds of dollars ordering sushi, wings, sandwiches, and hot food throughout the summer is something else entirely.

And the more we normalize giving kids unlimited money for these things, the more they come to expect it. We complain that our children are spoiled, but sometimes we’re the ones creating those expectations.

As a side note, before camp we filled up a huge nosh box for our son with snacks and treats. So there really shouldn’t have been a need to spend anywhere near $150 at canteen in three weeks.

Canteen should stay one of the fun parts of camp. But it should be canteen not a restaurant.

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