The bell after lunch

Original non-fiction-style practice text.

The school bell rang seven minutes late for a week while a new clock was installed. Most teachers adjusted their lessons without complaint. The kitchen manager, however, asked for the original lunchtime to be restored as soon as possible. A governor wondered why seven minutes mattered when the food could simply wait.

The first lunch group shared its tables with a second group which arrived forty minutes later. Delaying the first group did not move the second group's lessons, so it shortened the time available to clear and reset the room. Kitchen staff had begun preparing some items later, but that did not solve the crowded handover. The late bell moved one part of the system while leaving the rest in place.

The governor spent a lunchtime beside the clearing station. Afterwards, she stopped describing the delay as seven extra minutes. It was also seven fewer minutes elsewhere. The clock installer arranged a temporary signal which sounded at the old time until the new system was ready.

Explain what the governor learns from the phrase “seven fewer minutes elsewhere”.