<p>Anyway, I don't know about you old-timers, but some things have changed and some things apparently havent. </p>
<ol>
<li>John Jay is much better than it used to be.</li>
<li>Tom's is still lame.</li>
<li>Ollie's is probably the worst restaurant I've ever been to. At least in the Morningside area.</li>
<li>Le Monde ftw.</li>
<li>You can get sick of Koronet's easily.</li>
<li>Cafe 212 makes great sandwiches.</li>
<li>Ferris Booth sucks.</li>
<li>Actually most of the rest of campus sucks unless you get invited to eat at Faculty House which is always a nice treat.</li>
</ol>
<p>If I recall correctly, Faculty House will serve students if they show up and ask to be seated, but they'll ask for a credit card. Maybe that's changed, but you should try it sometime. Impress a freshman chick or something, cheap date =)</p>
<p>
[quote]
8. Actually most of the rest of campus sucks unless you get invited to eat at Faculty House which is always a nice treat.
[/quote]
[quote]
Is it still a badly-kept secret that undergrads can eat dinner at faculty house for about the same price as JJ costs?
[/quote]
[quote]
If I recall correctly, Faculty House will serve students if they show up and ask to be seated, but they'll ask for a credit card. Maybe that's changed, but you should try it sometime. Impress a freshman chick or something, cheap date =)
<p>What's the Faculty House like? Is it basically a high-end restaurant(think Google food), or is it just significantly better than John Jay? What sort of food do they have there? (In case you haven't noticed, I'm a huge foodie!)</p>
<p>Also, can freshmen spend "Columbia Points" on these meals(i.e. are freshman "Columbia Points" equivalent to "Dining Dollars" or "Flex Accounts," or do freshmen need to pay the full $19/$22 it costs to dine via cash/credit card?</p>
<p>Faculty house is like a high-class restaurant, with perhaps slightly less decor/atmosphere (though still plenty of it), a bunch of professors in jacket and tie and their spouses, and very good food (Although not always the best selection). Having eaten at both, I'd say the variety is less than Google NYC but the quality is better, as there is real chefery behind it.</p>
<p>There are 3 types of currencies swipe-able with your columbia card:</p>
<p>(1) Dining dollars come with a meal plan and you do not pay sales tax when you use dining dollars. Can only be used on food, since it's a set-aside determined by law.
(2) Flex dollars can be used for bookstore, library fees, vending machines, laundry machines, and so on. Flex does not have tax benefits.
(3) Freshman points are functionally equivalent to dining dollars. They are tracked separately for some bizarre reason, but they are used on food and are fixed by the freshman meal plans. Freshman meal plans come with a set price, but options for the number of meals/points you get. Upperclass meal plans, you purchase a set number of meals or a set dollar amount of dining dollars, so it's not being derived from a universal amount.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Also, can freshmen spend "Columbia Points" on these meals(i.e. are freshman "Columbia Points" equivalent to "Dining Dollars" or "Flex Accounts," or do freshmen need to pay the full $19/$22 it costs to dine via cash/credit card?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>no, if it doesnt say they accept points, they dont.</p>
<p>I'm not sure if this has already been answered elsewhere, but do all Columbia eateries (from the dining halls, coffee bars, Tasti D-Lite, JJ's Place, Faculty House, etc) also accept plain cash/credit cards? At times, it might just be easier than using Points and Dining Dollars when you're running low on both.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Freshman points are functionally equivalent to dining dollars. They are tracked separately for some bizarre reason
[/quote]
</p>
<p>i'm guessing the reason has to do with the fact that they don't roll over from year to year like dining dollars do and since you can also purchase dining dollars as a freshman they'd want to keep the two separated. </p>
<p>
[quote]
Also, can freshmen spend "Columbia Points" on these meals(i.e. are freshman "Columbia Points" equivalent to "Dining Dollars" or "Flex Accounts," or do freshmen need to pay the full $19/$22 it costs to dine via cash/credit card?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>if you somehow run out of meal swipes freshman year you can use your points to swipe into john jay...or you can use your points to swipe a friend who's visiting for instance with points.</p>
<p>The price of a john jay meal is more like $12</p>
<p>
[quote]
do all Columbia eateries (from the dining halls, coffee bars, Tasti D-Lite, JJ's Place, Faculty House, etc) also accept plain cash/credit cards?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>No on campus venue accepts credit cards, they all accept cash but you will have to pay tax whereas with points/dining dollars you do not. If you use flex you will also have to pay tax. You can easily add more dining dollars to your account online and it usually takes a few hrs to register to your account.</p>
<p>Shraf: I know that the meals at John Jay are ~$12; I was referring to Faculty House meals priced at $19 for lunch and $22 for dinner. Can I redeem freshman points at Faculty House, or only Dining Dollars?</p>
<p>oh, my fault....umm, i'm not sure...i don't see why not if they accept dining dollars....but honestly even though faculty house is alright (better than john jay) its certainly not worth $19-22 which can buy you a very very nice meal elsewhere. You will certainly not find a good deal on columbia's campus in terms of dining.</p>
<p>There is a bakery in Washington Heights on Dykeman street… I think Kenney’s Bakery? If you are willing to take the 1, the Pastellios, cafe con leche, its absolutely delicious, and reasonable priced.</p>
<p>Im not a Columbia Student ( im a prospective 2014)- but my aunt used to live in Washington Heights, and one lives in Morningside (my uncle works at Columbia), so I visit the city quite a bit.</p>