<p>It depends on you, your appetite and schedule. You can use your Barrett meal plan at any dining hall, so if you have to spend the day at the other end of campus, can eat in MU dining hall or others. Also, Barrett dining opens very late Sat/Sun morning, so can eat breakfast in Hassy dining hall nearby, opens 8 am weekends. Barrett food is better, but there is plenty of acceptable food at the other halls. </p>
<p>If you have early classes, like 7:30 am and don’t have a chance to stop for a meal after that until lunch, getting breakfast can be tough as the halls don’t allow ‘carry out.’ You can try, and kids do, but will be chastised by employees if caught. If you don’t want to deal with that or with rushing(halls open at 7 am weekdays) you can keep breakfast food in your room. I’m sure Wal-Mart sells milk and juice, other basic food items, if getting to grocery is difficult. Closest real grocery is a few blocks south of campus on Rural Rd. Need a bike or car if carrying heavy stuff.</p>
<p>Once dining hall is open, it is open all day until it closes. They have more stuff out at peak times, but can eat there anytime, as often as you like with unlimited. There are some kind of rules around going in and out once you’ve swiped, with time limits, to try to control kids trying to sneak free meals, but I don’t know exactly what they are.</p>
<p>There are several places you can use your meal swipes (don’t need to spend M&G) when dining halls are closed. Hassy’s Pod is a convenience store open until 2 am. They have a limited number of meal swipe options, like wraps packed in clam shells. Sonora Market is open until 11 pm and also opens 7:30 am Sat/Sun, located south of Barrett in the cluster of buildings behind Wal-Mart. Devil’s Diner in Palo Verde, a burger place open until 2 am and open at 9 am weekends, can swipe there anytime.</p>
<p>Unused M&G dollars carry over from one semester to the next during a school year, but expire after summer session. On the 14 meal/week plan, unused meal swipes from one week do NOT carry over, are lost and the count starts again at 14 beginning of each week. Unlike the 150 meal/semester plan for upperclassmen, where you don’t have to space your meals any particular way to get full value.</p>
<p>Also, you know those are the 2013-14 prices? Next year’s prices aren’t up yet.</p>
<p>Can’t decide for you, but these are some things to consider when deciding. </p>
<p>Dining hall site has map with all locations, hours, FAQ, in case I missed something. No meals Thanksgiving weekend except Thanksgiving day dinner. No meals during breaks. Long weekends like MLK may have special hours.</p>
<p>Glad you enjoyed your visit. They’ve been having nice weather there, daughter reports.</p>