<p>So how is it? Is it really so bad that you dine on Arthur Ave. quite often?</p>
<p>Why worry about food Mongo, don’t you love beans?</p>
<p>I’m sorry. Since last Friday I’ve been so sad and distraught that I just needed a laugh. If only to myself. My apologies to all.</p>
<p>Jajajajaja touchy subject. After we voted ourselves worst in the country, Sodexo (the company that runs on-campus dining; a.k.a. The Axis of Evil) made a few improvements–they rearranged the cafeteria, added a sandwich bar that’s open til 9 instead of 8 (gasp!), and started offering burritos every day. The burritos are pretty good, and I don’t think we’ll shoot ourselves in the foot for the Princeton Review again, but the food definitely isn’t a strong point here.</p>
<p>That said, we’re definitely not the worst in the country. Definitely below the median, but I don’t even think we’re in the bottom quartile. Get the Ram 7 meal plan (one meal a day, $500 in DCB) and switch up what you eat every day, and you won’t mind the caf’s food at all. Arthur Av. is better, but not enough better to be worth spending your money on very often.</p>
<p>My two cents: I’m pretty sure most of people’s ire stems from the fact that the university forces all residents without kitchens to buy meal plans. When you’re required to pay 5k/year for a really mediocre product–on top of the 11k/year for your kitchenless room and 43k/year for “tuition”–you kind of hope the 5k product is as gratuitously good as it is gratuitously expensive. Alas, Fordham’s food is often only expensive. If you live off campus or in an apartment, you can buy a “commuter meal plan” that’s 25% of the cost of a resident plan for 50% of the swipes and DCB–that’s how we residents know we’re being gypped.</p>
<p>I would say that at RH it is not that the food is awful, it is more that the choices are limited and it gets monotonous. During my first two years I was in a dorm with no kitchen and I had to get a meal plan. This year I have a kitchen in my suite so I just took a minimal plan for those days I really can’t deal with cooking. There are a lot of places that deliver and Arthur Avenue is nearby and pretty reasonably priced. It could be a lot worse.</p>
<p>The current company is trying hard to keep their contract. I can only tell you that at LC, they are closing over the break and doing a big renovation. My daughter says there have been improvements. She cooks sometimes and orders out a lot.</p>
<p>LC one is mediocre IMO. Hopefully the renovations help. I usually just eat out though.</p>
<p>I will venture into this labrynth at the risk of whatever.</p>
<p>First of all, all college food gets panned. Its not home cooking. I went to WashU StL with my kid during college tour days and they touted it as awesome food on campus and off. It was neither. Over hyped. Decent, but not what I expected. Take whatever you hear particularly on princeton review and discount it by 5. Princeton Review is notoriously UNRELIABLE for anything. Period.</p>
<p>Second, I personally ate at Rose Hill several times, breakfast, lunch and dinner when my kid was there and it wasnt horrific. Its cafeteria food. But it wasnt stuff I tossed out either. </p>
<p>Arthur Ave is fabulous. Many local eateries near campus with LONG traditions of serving Fordham kids and faculty are great. Apartments on campus have full kitchens if you think you can do better (most kids try this and fail…and end up backin the cafeteria. LOL.)</p>
<p>Third, Student Services at Fordham is one of its weaknesses headed by people, <em>ahem</em> that nobody likes. The Cafeteria is part of that cabal of mismanagement.</p>
<p>Its a right of passage in college. Makes for colorful and humorous commentary. But when parents visit they roll their eyes, go out to eat on Arthur Ave (or in Manhattan for REALLY highbrow stuff…and yes, I have a favorite or two…ping me to find out) and all is well.</p>
<p>The other thing is that Arthur Ave is not the only place off campus to go eat. Its the most frequented. There are plenty of places on Pelham Parkway that get rave reviews, and some in other nearby neighborhoods. </p>
<p>You wont starve and there is awesome food very close. </p>
<p>Kids DONT pick colleges based on food service. IF they do, they are idiots.<br>
Kids and parents pick colleges primarily for prestige and quality of education. Fordham has NOTHING to be ashamed of there.</p>
<p>Finally, if you have been admitted to Fordham EA, I beg you…implore you…visit campus and see for yourself. Its an outstanding university with a degree that carries a LOT of weight in a growing national prominence. Its a TOP TIER Jesuit school in a class of 28 Jesuit colleges. </p>
<p>I think you can handle the cafeteria for four years. We hated to leave at graduation…truly.</p>
<p>I am a current Fordham freshman that started right after the cover of the Daily News was about how bad the food was. I had to take a lot of ribbing from family and friends, and once I got to campus people were afraid of the caf.</p>
<p>That being said, I think the food is pretty good. If Fordham is honestly the worst in the country (which I am sure it is not, my orientation leader said she believes Fordam is still getting punished for when she was a freshman back in 2010 when the food was truly bad), than the best must be a 5 star restaurant! Now that I am on campus, I think the biggest complaint I hear is that there is little variety in the caf. I would agree with this, but it does not make the food bad. You might be able to go almost a week without eating the same meal, but do not expect to go a whole semester without eating something twice. My biggest advice in the caf would be to try everything. Even if you think you may not like something, try it once. I eat a lot of food there now that I would have been apprehensive to eat a year ago. </p>
<p>Other places on campus offer viable dining options too. Dagger Johns to go is a great place to use a meal swipe at! It has a good variety of things on is menu and some of the food there is actually really good. The Grill is another really good option. You cannot use swipes there, but it is worth the flex dollars. The Deli does not have the best food ever, but its sandwhiches are a good option for lunch a day or two a week when you have class. The Deli is nice for freshman because it is in a convinvent location for them. Empire State Cafe I can’t really speak for because I have never had their real food. They make some pastas and stuff that always look good so I would be willing to try them.</p>
<p>As for Arthur Avenue, the food of course is excellent, but from my exeriences students do not just go there a lot. Do not expect to go out with your friends to Arthur Ave once a week, people just do not do that. Every once in a while you may go and get a slice of pizza, but sit down meals are really rare. In my experiences, people only go to the more expensive sit down restuarants on Arthur Ave when parents are in town or its someones birthday.</p>
<p>Going in, I was told that eating in the caf was a part of socializing at college and this is very right. I have a 10 meal a week plan (there are also 7, and 14 in addition to a more expensive unlimited) and I think that is a good way to go. I go to dinner every weeknight with my friends and have lunch most days too. It is definetely a big part of socializing for me and my friends. Between homework and classes and all, meals are really the only time we get together during the week.</p>