<p>My son was initially enthusiastic about food at U Chicago dining hall (South Campus).</p>
<p>Now, he says he barely eats some fruits and such since the rest of what's offered is so unappetizing.</p>
<p>Did the food quality really slide down, or did he develop mutant genes for errant palette?</p>
<p>This will be a factor that would go in when the time comes for deciding on of off campus housing next year. </p>
<p>He tells me that if you stay at dorm, you have NO choice but to get a full board meal plan. No reduced board plan??? That sounds rather drastic!</p>
<p>As things stand now, there is only one meal plan offered – the full board one. That was new this year. I gather there is a lot of unhappiness about it, so it may change in the future, but I would be surprised if they abandoned the current structure after only one year.</p>
<p>As for quality changes . . . I have no idea about that, but my kids were sick of the dining hall food by this point in their first years, too, and that was a huge factor in their decisions to live off campus as second years.</p>
<p>It’s really not that bad. People just need to get over themselves. They even have Kosher options and they’re good options… the salad bar is nice, there’s always nice fresh stuff in the sandwich station, the grill is usually good, the pizza’s good… come on, lots of choices and the food is fresh.</p>
<p>S1 is having a tough time finding simple food that he will eat under the new dining plan regime. Before this year, there was a minimum plan that second through fourth years could elect, and which S had planned to choose. Now, we are wasting $4,000+ on food he does not eat.</p>
<p>As much as he loves his dorm, we have to find some way to get him what he needs. Last week he passed out because he hadn’t eaten in two days. Mind you, he FORGOT because he had so much work to do, but the fact that going to the dining hall isn’t an attractive option (even with his housemates) is a concern.</p>
<p>While dining hall food isn’t necessarily attractive to everyone as a four-years-long-option, having eaten on-campus for three years so far (and had extended dining hall experiences at two other colleges, both of which were much lower quality than ours), I’ll say that I’m pleased with the offerings, and feel like there ARE options for the picky- you just have to be willing to look at all portions of the dining hall. I’ll also say that the quality between this year and years past (with a slight dip in the very beginning of this year while adjusting to Bartlett’s all-you-can-eat, but then a rise) is unchanged, and remains stable between the now-revamped Pierce and the new South Campus dining facility as well. Salad bar, diner station, sandwich station, and the grill are places where one can get decent, normal food daily (think grilled chicken breast, hamburgers, make your own salad with a variety of options, design your own sandwich from a variety of meat/vegetable options, cooked vegetables, standard soups, etc), and other stations offer quite a bit of variety (if it’s too adventurous for some, you can always ask for it to be toned down- plain cheese quesadilla, pasta with marinara, plain white pita with hummus). All of these stations exist at Bartlett, and exist in some facet in Pierce or South Campus as well.
I definitely don’t want to discount your son’s feelings on the food, but I’d definitely suggest checking those options out- there’s really no reason for anyone to be passing out or skipping meals, as there really is a lot of variety and definitely the opportunity to eat simple foods if one is willing to explore all stations in the dining hall. The meal plan, unfortunate to some, is not changing from the “everyone in housing, maximum plan” style any time in the near future, but there has been considerable student guff to this effect, and I would be surprised if housing and dining did not take this in to consideration in the near future.</p>
<p>I have to agree with Cosmos here. As a picky eater, I have to say that the food is very high-quality. And CountingDown, trust me, you don’t want to go back to the old system. I am still on the grandfathered minimum plan, and they charge you $2500/year for $216 flex dollars and 33 meals/quarter. That’s $833/quarter total, so each meal is (833-216)/33 = $18.70. That’s right: despite the fact that meals on a NON-dining plan are at most $10/meal, they charge students on the plan $18.70/meal, and require you to sign up for this. </p>
<p>Compare this to the new system, where overall, you’re paying about $20 for food each DAY. $20/meal on the old system vs. $20/day on the new system. People who didn’t experience the old system don’t know how good the new system is. I’m not saying that the new system is perfect, but it’s much better than what has been in place.</p>
<p>My brother always said that you could tell how people ate at home by how they react to college food. I’ll be happy to come to dinner, hyeonjlee! </p>
<p>My D would have been pretty unhappy if she’d had to stay on a full meal plan. And it seems a little silly that people who live in the new dorm and have kitchens have to stay on a maximum plan. I don’t think your son has to “get over himself” at all. Rather, he should be a part of that “considerable student guff” that might get the policies changed.</p>
<p>I live in a dorm with a kitchen, and find it a little irritating that we have to sign up for an unlimited meal plan when I eat usually one, max two meals a day at the dining hall. However, as far as the quality of the food, your son may be being a little picky. I don’t want to discount anyone’s feelings about what they put in their body, but the only issues I’ve had with my dining hall have been issues of service, not food quality. If you approach it with the attitude that this is a college dining hall and not a restaurant, there’s no reason you should be skipping meals because the food is ‘unappetizing.’</p>
<p>As others have mentioned, your son is correct about the meal plan. If he stays in housing, he will have no choice but to purchase full board.</p>
<p>In my experience, Chicago offers an excellent variety of options for students. There are often too many choices at one meal. At South Campus, much of the food is made right in front of the students, tailored to their specific preferences. I really can’t see what your son has to complain about; I am very grateful for the food that is offered. </p>
<p>Possible exception: if your son needs to eat Halal, he may well be limited in his choices.</p>
<p>UChicagoPSAC: Tell me where S can get a cheese quesadilla! He lived on them last year and they are no longer available at BJ (or the functional equivalent now). Yes, he’s a picky, picky eater. </p>
<p>Phuriku – He eats one meal a day at the dining hall for $4k+/yr. We keep threatening S2 that he must attend Chicago so we can get our money’s worth! ;)</p>
<p>I think that part of my kids’ issues with the dining halls was their hours. They often were unable to get a meal in during the hours it was available, and it sound like that is part of the problem for the current dorm-living students, too.</p>
<p>But they also thought the food was pretty crummy. FWIW, they both ate at Pierce.</p>
<p>JHS: The dining hall hours problem has since been fixed, and the dining halls are now open from 7am to 8pm on weekdays. It is true that Pierce food is terrible. However, I don’t see why people just don’t eat at other halls. My assigned hall is Pierce but I eat at Bartlett.</p>
<p>@CountingDown- Chesse quesadillas are available at Bartlett, and South Campus offers sort of a mexican station that often does burritos (and I’m sure they would make your son a plain cheese or a bean and cheese burrito if he asked). I think the point here is: encourage him to ask at a relevant station! I’ve been surprised by what asking can do, especially if you are asking for something less complicated than the example meal. </p>
<p>and @JHS and Phuriku- the quality of Pierce food has improved substantially this year, mainly in an effort to attract students back to Pierce who are otherwise going to Bartlett. Great improved salad bar, sushi weekly, better offerings in vegan and vegetarian, and “Mongolian Grill” stir-fry station where you can choose your own vegetables and protein.</p>
<p>Talked to S the other day while he was eating at Pierce and he said the food was a lot better than it used to be. He’s never complained about the food and normally eats, like a bird, mind you, at Bartlett so I don’t think we’ve been getting our money’s worth in the food department. He’s moving to an apartment in June (staying over the Summer, so the one year lease won’t be a problem) and hopefully the savings/expenses will balance out.</p>
<p>VERY picky eater checking in. I’m a vegetarian and from a family of amazing cooks, and there is plenty to keep me happy in Bartlett.</p>
<p>Also, the admissions office gives a free meal card to every student visitor, so prospective students have the opportunity to try the food before they decide whether this school is right for them. Definitely stay here for a meal if you come for a tour!</p>
<p>Bartlett also has a custom-made pasta station. </p>
<p>Generally, I wouldn’t say the food is high-quality. It’s not terrible either, but not great. They do give you lots of options, which is very nice. But I hear a lot of students complaining about food, and some of them are kids who will eat just about anything because of their appetite. I’ve spent summers at quite a few colleges, and I’d say it’s smack in the middle. Not terrible, but not great either. It just takes time getting used to, but most students will be fine.</p>
<p>Also, the meal plan is completely ridiculous. I don’t eat breakfast and sometimes skip lunch (class schedule sometimes just doesn’t work out). So paying so much for so little doesn’t feel good. At least give me an option to pay less. What’s more ridiculous is that it’s completely tied to your room contract. You HAVE to get the unlimited plan not just your first year but also your second year. (I heard this might change, and I hope it does.)</p>
<p>The dining hours problem isn’t so much that they are not open, but that the “transition” hours are simply awful.</p>