<p>Pretty simple question: How's the food at UVA and what's included with you meal plan?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>[Welcome</a> to CampusDish at University of Virginia!](<a href=“http://www.campusdish.com/en-US/CSMA/Virginia/DiningPlans/DiningPlanOptions.htm]Welcome”>http://www.campusdish.com/en-US/CSMA/Virginia/DiningPlans/DiningPlanOptions.htm)</p>
<p>The food is alright, but it definitely isn’t something that tastes like its home cooked. You can use a meal swipe at certain places during certain times, which I think they added this year. Mon-Th, 4pm-8pm, you can use a swipe at Newcomb for Chick-Fil-A and other various fast food places, but they limit you to what you can get.</p>
<p>Unless you have to have breakfast/lunch/dinner, I’d suggest getting the plus 13 first semester with 250 plus dollars and then that or plus 10 with 430 plus dollars second semester.</p>
<p>My friends and I pretty much agree that it’s so much better to have more plus dollars than meals/week. Most first years I’ve talked to have told me that they probably won’t be getting a meal plan next year, as you’re paying anywhere from 10-12 dollars a meal x 10/13/15 adds up to 130+ dollars a week, and most people don’t even use all their swipes. You can get unlimited, which most athletes do and I’d say you get what you paid for on that plan.</p>
<p>S complains bitterly about the food. He thinks the quality of the food doesn’t reflect the quality of the school. It seems UVA needs to do something about it. Other schools are.</p>
<p>My son is vegetarian, but so far hasn’t complained terribly about food choices. He’s an athlete, so he eats dinners at JPJ (though he eats dinner at Runk on the weekends).</p>
<p>When you look at surveys of UVa students, the only things they rank low are the food and the parking. The parking is intentionally difficult because the U. wants people to use the bus system and wants to keep the Grounds walkable vs. a being sea of huge parking lots. </p>
<p>However, the food …</p>
<p>At the same time, the meal plan at UVa costs $1K a year than many other colleges. That provides some savings that can be used to go out to restaurants.</p>
<p>It is valuable to have a fridge and a microwave in your dorm room. You can use the flexible dollars to get stuff to put together for breakfasts and late night snacks.</p>
<p>The food sucks. It’s commonly known that it makes you use the restroom about half an hour to an hour after you eat it. The food trucks and the pav are better, but one uses plus dollars and the other is only open at certain times. Less meals and more plus is the way to go.</p>
<p>lol 2fresh4flow
Most of the other information in this thread is accurate.
During my 4 years in Brown college, I had the pleasure of seeing dishes such as Tuna Tacos and… well that was the worst. A lot of the hot dishes were inedible. You could always get a sandwich, salad, nachos, etc though… OHill had better selection than Newcomb.</p>
<p>My D also complained about the food. She visited some of her friends when she was home from break. UVa’s food is worse than (probably the worst for the price we are paying) other schools. I think the school really needs to lean harder on the food contractors. They need to improve!!!</p>
<p>On a previous discussion on this issue, we suggested that UVa divide the food contract into two or more providers. Let the students vote with the feet. If the food is better at O Hill or Newcomb, or visa versa, that company earns more money.</p>
<p>My second year son seems to think that UVA already does that for the three main dining halls. That is why it is known that Runk has better food than the other three. He lived near Runk last year and didn’t think the food was bad. He did say that as the semester ticked on they got less creative with what they offered and he felt like it was too repetitive. He was always happy to come home and eat. lol. This year he lives off campus and is responsible for feeding himself. I wonder how he feels now that he cooks for himself. The dining hall is probably looking pretty good right about now.</p>
<p>S and his friends have experienced a notable decline in the selection and diversity of the food during the fall semester. They are re-thinking what to do next semester and beyond, concerned that this decline is permanent. Any other perspectives on the perceived change?</p>
<p>1st year students are allowed to switch to a meal plan with more plus dollars for second semester. I don’t know when the deadline is. I couldn’t find a way to do it online - the web site talked about taking a form to O Hill.</p>
<p>My impression is that very very few students who are not first year eat at the dining halls? Is that true? I looked at some of the options for upperclassmen, and they come out to $11.50 per meal. Who would pay that if they don’t have to?</p>
<p>My son read the fine print to max out his use of other options. However, that may mean he is eating more junk.</p>
<p>My son had the same commentary last year as the semester wore on. Unfortunately, when the spring semester started up it did not go back to the selection and quality that they started with in the fall. 
He says “UVA is not know for their food”. He likes the Pav though and now UVA has meal exchanges with the pav where for a meal swipe you can get a certain quantity of food.</p>
<p>I’m a first year right now… this semester the food was not that bad, seriously, especially if you go to a certain few dining places on grounds/campus. Remember the name Runk Dining Hall. It is kind of far from central grounds but takes about 10 min walking. My friends and I make a special effort to go there to take our minds off bad grades, etc. The food is really good there. :)</p>
<p>You have from December 8th-January 25th to change your meal plan. You can submit a meal plan change request form online after you create an account. It is very easy to do. </p>
<p>Here is the link:</p>
<p>[Welcome</a> to CampusDish at University of Virginia!](<a href=“http://www.campusdish.com/en-US/CSMA/Virginia/DiningPlans/]Welcome”>http://www.campusdish.com/en-US/CSMA/Virginia/DiningPlans/)</p>
<p>Go to the top right and create an account. </p>
<p>Go back to the dining plans tab/site.</p>
<p>Go to the second yellow box and click on submit meal plan request form.</p>
<p>OK so in Brown you have to have a meal plan because Newcomb is, well, right there, and there are regular banquets in the big hall on the 3rd floor. We would always make fun of it and complain about the prices but now with this facebook timeline I’ve been tagging pictures and I have almost as many in Newcomb Hall as in Brown in general. Also, this past year when I would go visit friends who still live there, we would sometimes eat in the dining hall by choice (my car was right there)… Lol! And i mean, every other week kind of by choice. The dining halls are a real social place for 1st years, and also for Brown. I know since I didn’t live in 1st year dorms, I didn’t understand about OHill being such a social place, but I went to brunch one time in spring semester with some of my Brownie friends and there were all of these 1st years I knew from being their CS TA (remember about 500 of them every spring) and I finally understood how that was.</p>
<p>After 1st year, it really depends on if you live on grounds and if you have a car. Like others have said, you can get a better meal from the Corner for the price you are paying. You might like having the convenience of being able to eat in the dining hall when you come in for classes (yumm soup salad sandwich time), or you could just pay with regular money at the pav/crossroads/etc. It really depends on who is footing the bill imho!</p>
<p>I, too, have never heard anything positive from a student about the food at UVa. But don’t expect things to change unless folks start complaining en masse to the Office of Student Affairs. </p>
<p>Believe it or not, the head of food service for UVa has recently won awards! See: [National</a> Association of College Auxiliary Services Presents College Foodservice Excellence Award](<a href=“http://www.aramark.com/2011nacasaward.aspx]National”>http://www.aramark.com/2011nacasaward.aspx), and [U.Va</a>. Dining Services’ Brent Beringer Honored by National Association](<a href=“http://www.virginia.edu/uvatoday/newsRelease.php?id=16670]U.Va”>http://www.virginia.edu/uvatoday/newsRelease.php?id=16670)</p>
<p>I have eaten here for quite some time and like UVa Dining. Of course, I am a creature of habit at times, so as long as there is sushi and humus, I’m happy. In fact, the only time I’ve been disappointed by dining services has been when the students are home because they shut down a few parts of the operation (no students = no sushi). </p>
<p>I also love the people who work at the three places I go for food (the Pav, C3 outside of the Pav, and Alderman). I think the people who make the sushi in the Pav and the ladies who work at the Alderman coffee shop are some of the nicest people on Grounds.</p>
<p>Dean - maybe there is a difference in quality between the places where people eat by choice vs. the places that they eat under required first year meal plans???</p>
<p>My son loves, loves, loves UVA but the dining hall food is a sore point with him too. Because he lives in Brown College he must purchase a meal plan, but this year we got him the minimum. Fortunately Brown has a kitchen, and he knows how to cook.</p>