At one of S18’s choices, they have options for different numbers of meals per week and the most available is 19. Do they expect that the kids sleep in on weekends and miss breakfast on Sat and Sun? It just seems odd there is no 21 meal option.
He is a 3 meals per day type of kid and often goes for early morning run on weekends. There is a coffee shop on campus so maybe that is the answer for a couple of mornings a week.
I think 19 meals is pretty common, with weekends being kind of brunchy. Your son can keep cereal, milk, juice and coffee fixings in his dorm room for those weekend mornings. Many students do that and get meal plans of about 15 per week.
Usually when the option is 19, Dining Services does not offer a separate breakfast and lunch time on Saturdays and Sundays, but instead offers a brunch. Even kids that get up early during the week will sleep in a little on the weekends.
My S17 had 17 meals to start first semester and a certain number of points. He said it was too many meals and he was actually giving meals away to friends who lived off campus on limited budgets. This semester we decreased him to 14 and again it’s too much. Next semester, he is switching to all points.
You should, first of all, check what is required for freshmen. At my D’s school, the first year was mandatory all you can eat.
Another thing to remember is that kids sometimes eat off campus. My son occasionally goes to Denny’s or Applebee’s with a group of kids. He also keeps food in his fridge in the dorm.
My kids are all breakfast eaters - every day without missing a breakfast. That said, yes, on weekends they would go to breakfast more for brunch and really just eat two meals those days (which actually is what I myself do on weekends).
Also, they just found it easier to eat breakfast in their room and not have that cafeteria stop first thing in the morning. Bagels, fruit, cereal, a scrambled egg in the micro, etc. - all easy to have right in your room.
We always signed up for the full plan (19) freshman year but by sophomore year 14 (and usually some bonus bucks for other eateries on campus) was PLENTY.
My oldest had whatever the smallest meal plan allowed was as everyone agreed that CMU’s food sucks. His freshman dorm was actually an off campus apartment building and had a full kitchen. He doesn’t cook, but it was easier for him to have a bowl of cereal in the apartment than to eat breakfast on campus. My younger son OTOH was happy to eat every meal available on campus and he’s happy to eat eggs every day for breakfast.
“Even kids that get up early during the week will sleep in a little on the weekends.”
Understatement of the century.
He might be able to pay out of pocket (or charge to his student account) to partake of brunch twice in one day. Question would be brunch hours…may very well open later than his early run.
At my D’s school they are not supposed to take food out of the dining hall but they sometimes do (probably easily transportable items). And she can get pretty wholesome substantial foods at the coffee shop with points.
Like many others report, my D cut back on # of meals after first semester, due to occasional meals out and more frequent friend group communal meals. Her dorm has a full kitchen and one of her friends lives in an on campus apartment and often invites friends to dinner (for salmon!).
I know right??
Also, I want to add, that even kids that never missed a meal at home in HS will miss a meal or two in college. For most students, they don’t max out on their weekly meals. However, many colleges require a certain meal plan for freshman, so even going down to a lower number of meals may not be an option.
That all said, the OP need not worry - your son will not go hungry. 
Also, his morning routine/run may change when he is out on his own. New place, new routines, new schedule. Not always, but often.
I’ll be honest I think the first year , full meal plan was to appease me - to know that they could get food if they wanted it, everyday, multiple times a day. I soon learned - and became confident - that they would regulate on their own - and they did!
My D has a healthy appetite, so we signed up for the 16 meals/week plus dining dollars for purchases, with the option to adjust the plan after the Fall semester. She will have easy to prepare meals in her dorm to supplement.
It really depends on the lay out of school. My kids went to a school with large campus, so if they had classes too far from their cafeteria during the day then they would opt to buy a sandwich/salad at a cafe. They also went out to dinner with their friends on weekends. Whereas I went to a small LAC where I could get to a cafeteria easily, so I ate every meal on campus. My kids started with 15+ meals with few hundred red bucks (could be used on campus for food/drinks) then ended up with 10 meals. They bought yogurt, cereals, coffee for their room, so they didn’t have to wake up early to have breakfast.
This is a question you should on the school forum, current students may know better.
You also need to “read the fine print” on your housing contract. At older DS’ school, you had to live on campus for your first two years (even if you were from the same town). And if you lived in a dorm, you were required to buy the full meal plan. There were some on-campus apartments which had their own kitchens; those residents could buy a cheaper meal plan. My DS never used all 19 meals (and yes, Sat. and Sun. were brunch plus supper).
My son eats like he’s going to the electric chair. I’m fairly confident his school will lose money on him with the 19 meal plan. On his accepted school visit he ate three helpings at lunch. That being said, he’s very athletic and burns hundreds of calories each day.
Does the college also have meal points that can be used elsewhere? Both of my kids had points they could use at off campus and the campus food court…which was open for breakfast.
That being said…I don’t think either ever used these points for breakfast on weekends. The brunch began at about 9:30 or 10 IIRC…they just waited…and went to that.
ETA…those brunches were really good. Omelette stations, Belgian waffle stations, pastries, eggs, french toast, fruit, bagels and fixings, lots of different bread choices for toasts. I mean…really good!
At many schools there is a 2 week grace period where students can change their meal plan. After about a week on campus my D saw that she was not eating every single meal at the dining hall and wanted some additional flexibility so we changed her plan to give her a few fewer meals/week and more points (or whatever it was called) she could use around campus. If your S has that flexibility be sure to let him know in case he wants to adjust the meal plan once he is there.
Thank you all! He is required to have a plan but they have 4 different levels. I will probably start at the highest to be safe (actually a very small cost difference per semester between 19 meals and next level which is 15 meals). They can change it each semester.
Some Us have modified meal hours and options for weekends. I remember decades ago our dorm didn’t serve dinners on weekends so you had to cook or dine out or have a big lunch and make it last.
Our kids preferred the lightest meal plan as they didn’t always want to eat at the dorm. They didn’t wake for breakfast and if they did, they were fine with a granola bar and/or fruit. Their friends who got the biggest meal plan had to buy things at the end of the term to use all the $$$ on it. Of course, YMMV.
My nephew one who missed the real breakfasts on weekend so he’d go out to breakfast (dining hall didn’t open until 10 or later). If my sister wanted to visit, the best time was a Sunday morning and she’d take him out to breakfast.
My kids? Never ate nearly as much as we paid for. One had an unlimited plan for M-F and then used her flex points for weekends (or pizza, or the deli, or at the school store). The way her plan worked was that she could go in and out of the dining hall as often as she wanted M-F, from I think 6am to 8pm.
Her boyfriend made the most of his plan once he moved off campus. He had a M-F lunch plan, and he could go as often as he wanted M-F from 10:30 to 3 pm. Sometimes he’d go at 10:30 for a late breakfast, again at 12:30, and again before 3. As long as he was in the door, he could eat until 5.