Best Meal Plan? Any suggestions?

UDGradBE80
Fri, 29 Apr 2011 21:20:58 +0000

I attended the UofD many years ago, and now my son is a Freshman there. Before I go on a rant about the food plan options, let me say that I believe the UofD is a WONDERFUL school and a great choice for your son or daughter! But here goes…

I have probed deeply into the subject of meals, because his schedule is such that my son cannot make a lot of them, due to a tight class schedule during the week (he hits Trabant, Main Street, etc often), missing meals on weekends (either because a lot of kids don’t like to get up early for brunch, or because the Marching Band performs thru many dining hall hours when they perform at football games), and his frequent dinner outings with his fraternity brothers (think “academic” vs “Animal House”) centered around their many functions. As a result, on top of the $2k annually we overspend on the never-completely-used meal plan, my son (and we) end up paying MORE for his alternate meals!

So far this semester, our son has done WORSE than we anticipated, using only 100 out of 250 meals, with just under 4 weeks to go. This means he has a max of 80 more meal chances - - and will at best likely only use 40 more in that time. Suddenly, that 250 meal “block” plan for $2k (if he only uses 140 of them) jumps to an average of over $13 per meal actually eaten from the $7 or $8 “best scenario”!

Obviously, I think the UofD meal plan options as constructed are far from what they should be. The University requires that all students living in dorms buy a meal plan. I can see where they are trying to ensure kids eat healthy while out of the control of their parents, but the way their plans are constructed is just wrong! They should come up with a reasonable “minimum” # of meals required & charge a certain rate for it, and then have additional options at different rates based on people’s tendencies to eat that amount or more. But they don’t. You are a captive audience. Their rate structure shows they are really more concerned about getting another $2k out of you than really serving their students’ best interests. If the student moves off-campus, suddenly they gain better judgment for themselves to determine what meal plan fits and at what cost, and have more options? Just because where one chooses to live, one is more capable of figuring that stuff out & qualifying for better meal plans & rates?! I would like to either see that system revamped as I mentioned above, or at least add a feature where there would be “standard” daily meals offered at the various Trabant food court eateries that could also count as a “meal” vs a-la-carte only for points - - at least during lunch! Many of the classes just aren’t close enough to the dining halls, and the lines are often long - - so students skip them & grab a quick bite elsewhere instead - - at added cost to them and us. (NOTE: It would also be nice to offer a similar option as I proposed at the football stadium as well.)

But back to the meal plans as they are, since on-campus students are stuck with it… First, the trade-off of meals for points stinks. If you buy the most meals available (block of 250) for almost $2k, after deducting the amount of points that come with it, each meal (if all 250 are eaten) would cost something like $7-$8 each. Yet, as you reduce the number of meals you buy for that same almost $2k, they only “give back” to you a measely portion of that amount in “points”. Call it point, but it’s really just giving you back less of the $ you already paid into the plan! You can’t buy a comparable meal for the pittance they give you back. So, by opting for less meals & more bucks, you’re really “buying-back” points/money at a premium! GOTCHA!!

There’s really no good option as long as you live in the dorms. It ends up being a guess as to which will “cost” you the least extra when all is said & done… I was told to go with the “block” option because you have 250 meals to play with all semester long, vs if you buy a “so-many-per-week” plan, once you use them all, you’re done for the week & would have to buy any more with points. So, if you plan on buying a 10-per-week plan over the course of the 15-week semester, it might make more sense flexibility-wise to go with a block of 150-175 instead. (Of course, by the time you get up to the 250 plan, that’s close to the max # of meals you can eat over the 15 weeks anyway, and it’s a moot point)… But look into “blocks” vs “per-week” plans & see how they compare.

FINALLY, here’s a tip for you that the Food Service doesn’t advertise … One or more of their dining halls offer a “box lunch”. I contacted them, and found out that such an option can be arranged at ANY dining hall! basically, as long as you coordinate it in advance with them (so they know how many to have on-hand), if you know your schedule is such that you can’t make the dining halls for lunch say 3 times a week, you can arrange with them to make a box lunch available to you on those days at your preferred dining hall. As I understand it, once set-up, you would simply go to that dining hall for breakfast (swiping your card for that meal), and then, as you leave, you’d pick up your box lunch & swipe your card again (counting as your lunch). VOILA!! You have a good lunch to eat on the run or in the short time between classes without costing you more money!

I have to add a caveat on the above, because my son has yet to contact the Dining Services to arrange said box lunches. I also don’t know whether you can do the same at breakfast or lunch for a “box dinner” either… But it’s certainly something to call Dining Services about & ask, and MIGHT just be the ticket for your child (especially if includes fruits, etc).

So that’s what I can tell you from our experience this year. I hope it helps & gives you “FOOD” for thought! ;-)