<p>i am pretty sure the requirement of a meal plan is not unique to bama.</p>
<p>This is true; however, I know at a lot of universities (not necessarily a majority, but a fair few), the meal plan can be used to buy food from chain restaurants where students actually want to dine (like Chick-fil-a, Burger King, Starbucks) as opposed to just the dining hall. The only dining hall that takes the meal plans that most people really like is Bryant.</p>
<p>I guess my problem is just that it would be nice if there were any variety. Lakeside, Fresh Foods, and Burke basically all serve the same foods…I really like the dining hall pizza and burgers, but I’m not going to eat those things for lunch and dinner every single day.</p>
<p>i know what you mean. i am sure that the dining hall gets old. but you won’t be a freshman next year, so this won’t effect you! :)</p>
<p>my daughter really doesn’t mind the dining hall food. she doesn’t have time to go off campus for lunch … ever … so she always eats lunch in the dining hall most every day - maybe chickfila or burger king occasionally. breakfast - mostly in the room or none at all. dinners - a combo of eating in her room, meeting food, dining hall and out to dinner.</p>
<p>next year will hopefully be a nice change with sorority house food.</p>
<p>I think that those who have complaints about the variety of food or anything meal plan related should send their complaints to the email addresses that I’ve listed above.</p>
<p>I know that my kids prefer the food at Burke and Bryant. Fresh Food is ok. </p>
<p>I would include in something in my communications that if the freshman meal plan is going to be Unlimited, and therefore they expect the frosh to eat there more often, then the need for more variety is important.</p>
<p>AJ deFalco - He’s the District Manager of Residential Dining.</p>
<p><a href="mailto:DeFalco-Aj@Aramark.com">DeFalco-Aj@Aramark.com</a></p>
<p>and James Robinson Director of Residential Dining Operations
<a href="mailto:robertson-james@aramark.com">robertson-james@aramark.com</a></p>
<p>My older son attended a Midwest school a few years back. He had so many meals left at the end one semester, he was able to “buy” enough pizza for his frat to throw a pizza party. He still had double digit meals left over that we lost.</p>
<p><a href=“http://bamadining.ua.edu/information/Creative-Meal-Plans.pdf[/url]”>http://bamadining.ua.edu/information/Creative-Meal-Plans.pdf</a></p>
<p>Creative Ways to use Your Meal Plan</p>
<p>Host a group to watch your favorite college or professional football team. Before everyone arrives, run to Burke and use your meal plan to buy a whole pizza to share!
(after 4:00pm Thursday—Monday)</p>
<p>Fill up a to-go container with fruit to take back to your dorm for the week. It will be convenient and good for you too!</p>
<p>Meeting a study group in the evening? Take a to-go container full of cookies or any dessert to share!</p>
<p>This is really irritating me. DD has not even started and I am getting the “nickle and dimed” feeling. I had no idea there was a fee for BB til a few minutes ago, rooms rates have gone up and now this. We have compared colleges down to the dime cost wise in our decisions and now this is all throwing me off course. Argh! Thanks for letting me vent :-)</p>
<p>I was pretty annoyed about freshmen having to go with the unlimited plan, since I do think it’s wasteful, but I’ve decided to go with the glass half full approach. My D has always been a grazer, so this will give her the opportunity to stop into a dining hall and just get something small whenever she wants. She can go shopping in the dining hall instead of at Publix for fruit, cookies, milk, cereal, etc. I won’t have to get depressed by looking up the unused meals on her ACT card and seeing that she has 140 left (sound familiar, RobD) because there will be no concept of the unused meal. I’m sure if I keep thinking I’ll come up with more stuff to put into my half full glass . . . .</p>
<p>I already told DD “instead of shopping at Publix you are to shop at the dining halls”</p>
<p>I don’t think this is ideal either but it might eliminate our kids stuffing themselves thinking they need to limit the number of swipes (“the better eat up to get your money’s worth at the buffet” school of thought).</p>
<p>I already told DD “instead of shopping at Publix you are to shop at the dining halls”</p>
<p>Absolutely! Pick up some cereal, yogurt, fruit, sandwiches, etc, and take them to go.</p>
<p>I was #1 in line of being annoyed at the meal plans last year (thanks for remembering beth’s mom!) but I have to say that I’ve never felt that UA “nickle & dimed” us. Freshman year has a lot of one time costs, but it’s the same at most schools.</p>
<p>We’re in the middle of looking at schools for D2 and UA falls slightly higher than the middle in room & board costs of the schools on her list; considering they have the nicest dorms by far with single bedrooms in the suites vs. traditional shared rooms that’s not too shabby. It’s interesting to see the difference from school to school among meal plans as well. </p>
<p>D1 went without a meal plan this year and it’s worked out great for her. Given that her food allowance is $300/month it’s cost us $2700-$3000 for the school year (I deposit on the 1st of the month; I’m thinking I won’t have to put much in on May 1st so it will probably end up being $2800.) </p>
<p>So the cost ends up being about the same as the meal plan. My kiddo is happier because she likes to cook, it relaxes her & she doesn’t like processed food. For most students though, spending the same money & knowing that someone else is doing the cooking is a better option.</p>
<p>I know can be frustrating to be forced to buy a meal plan… but in comparison with many schools, UA is a much better deal. My sister, for instance, attends a university where they are also required to purchase a meal plan freshman year. But hers is based on meals per week (21 per week, 14 per week, etc), and those meals do not even roll over from week to week. So if she doesn’t use all 14, they’re just gone, and she still only has 14 for the next week. They are also required to purchase a certain amount of the equivalent of Dining Dollars. But if students don’t use them by the end of each semester, they simply disappear. They aren’t refunded in any way to any account. Whereas at UA, if you don’t use Dining Dollars, they can be translated to Bama Cash or you can get a refund. It may come across as somewhat annoying, but Bama’s meal plans are much more reasonable than many other schools.</p>
<p>It looks like we’re beginning to see the results of the new dining contract with the change to a mandatory unlimited meal plan. For those who “like to get their money’s worth” at restaurants, remember to manage your calorie intake or you will likely gain weight.</p>
<p>I’ve recently started going back to the dining halls when the cost couldn’t be beat. $6.30 for a late night (dinnertime for me) meal at Lakeside Dining Hall is cheaper than buying a sandwich at Jimmy John’s. Now that all dining hall meals are $5.45, except at Bryant, from April 15th to May 4th, it is hard for me to pay more money when I know I can get special ordered food, eg less carbs, more meat, and all I can drink milk for a very low price.</p>
<p>Bama Dining did operate a limited menu “meat and three” restaurant in Doster Hall that accepted meal plans until May 2010. There was also the late-night Lakeside Diner, formerly in Paty Hall, which closed in May 2009 and has since been a series of sit down restaurants that don’t accept meal plans.</p>
<p>Especially with the increased OOS student population, the Bama Dining needs to expand its menu to include more non-Southern items. Beef liver and onions, occasionally served as a main course at Lakeside and as an exhibition item at other dining halls, is an example of a dish that is not extremely popular with college students. My personal favorite entrees were the hand-breaded pork chops and chicken strips at Bryant and Lakeside, respectively, that were replaced with more processed options. I would also like to see improved and accurate ethnic options. I’ve been to many inexpensive buffets in my life, mainly on the west coast, and the Asian and Tex-Mex/Mexican options were some of the best, most flavorful items being served. </p>
<p>Keep in mind that Bama Dining currently limits meal plan swipes to once per meal period, breakfast and late night counting as the same meal period.</p>
<p>I also have never felt “nickel and dimed” by Bama. The meal plan thing is literally my only complaint. For incoming freshman, I encourage you to go to Bryant (I didn’t try it until second semester, and I literally fell in love; it’s worth the walk). If I lived near Burke, I would go there just to get ice cream every day. Latenight Lakeside is also great. I guess what I’m trying to say is that since there’s nothing you can do about it, you might as well make the best out of it.</p>
<p>Oh, also, Lakeside usually has whole pineapples sitting out…no one technically knows whether we’re allowed to take them (I mean, they’re sitting next to apples and oranges, which we’re obviously allowed to take) so I am not condoning such behavior, but I can verify that they are absolutely delicious.</p>
<p>one of the lunch ladies TOLD my daughter to take a pineapple a week or two ago. so maybe they ARE there for the taking.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>This totally changes my opinion of the “unlimited access” plan. If they keep that policy, it kind of negates this:</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>
Good to know! My friends and I tend to go in there with large bags and look like shoplifters, and I’ve seen people grab one that’s near the exit and sprint out.</p>
<p>How does the meal plan work at Julia’s Market?</p>
<p>So you can really pack a bag of food/drink and go? I can’t see DD running over every time she is thirsty but if she can take a few milks and juices at a time this could be cost worthy. I don’t mean to complain it has just been 3-4 consistent weeks of financial surprises for me in regards to UA. I was hoping the new COA might be based on overestimating some costs that a more frugal student could work to keep to a minimum.</p>