<p>I visited WashU during multicultural weekend a couple of weeks ago, and will be coming to Wash U as a freshman this fall. Can current students tell me a little about how the meal plan works in practice?<br>
-- Does everyone just go to eat at the Bear's Den (or wherever) whenever they feel like eating a meal? Most of the other schools I visited seemed to have more of a set time for meals, and buffet-type service. Though Wash U's food looks great, I'm wondering if everyone coming and going at different times might detract a little from the camaraderie that I saw in dining halls at other campuses, where meals were taken at set times and everyone seemed to go to eat more or less at the same time.<br>
-- Since Wash U seems to be preparing meals individually (as opposed to a buffet line), does it ever take a long time to order/pick up your meal because there's a bunch of people waiting in line to be served?<br>
-- I'm curious about the food itself -- when I was there (early April), I saw cases containing various uncooked meats, including wild salmon, marinated chicken, even frog legs. Do you order from the case, and then they cook it for you? If so, do you have to wait in additional lines to order a salad, vegetables, deserts, etc.? Again, this seems like it might take a long time.<br>
-- Finally, does the silver meal plan (the one required for all freshmen) really last for the entire year? For example, the wild salmon I saw in the case had a card that read "7.95" -- I assume that meant it was 7.95 points for a piece of salmon, plus more points for whatever vegetables, etc. you want to order? If so, at similar prices, it seems unlikely that the 3,186 points alotted by the silver plan would really last for an entire school year, assuming 3 meals per day could easily add up to 30 points or so per meal (e.g., 60-90 points per meal).<br>
Thanks!</p>
<p>There really aren’t any set times to eat, the only restrictions (for the most part) are the opening and closing times in morning/evening; be that as it may, most people will eat at noonish and 6-8 PM, seeing as how those are the most common eating hours. As a result, BD will usually be full if you eat around then, and you won’t lose much camaraderie, if any. </p>
<p>There are a few stations which take a while - stir fry, carvery wraps, and the grill being the main offenders, but you’ll usually only wait 15 minutes at most (unless you try to get a wrap on the hour mark - have fun standing in line for half an hour). Everything else is pretty quick, a few minutes to get your meal, pay, and sit down.</p>
<p>You can order the fresh meat from the case. Yes, it’ll take a little longer, and it’ll usually be more expensive. Therefore, most people usually order a burger/chicken sandwich at the grill.
Yes, you also have to go to other stations to order other stuff, but the best part is that you can place your order at the grill, leave and go get food from other stations while you are waiting, and then come back to pick up your cooked meat.</p>
<p>I am quite sure that nobody spends 30 points on a single meal (unless they are trying to get rid of their leftover points). A typical meal consists of just a sandwich, just a slice of pizza or two, just a plate of pasta, or just a quesadilla etc. Each of these runs in the 6-8 point range. Combined with the facts that people eat off-campus sometimes, skip a meal or two, and eat at some on-campus locations which don’t use meal points, it is fairly usual to run at or below the allotted 15 points per day (or whatever the exact rate is).</p>
<p>Thanks – that explains things. I guess my only remaining question is about salads, etc. You mention that most people are mostly getting just a plate of pasta, a sandwich, pizza, etc. If you want a side salad, or french fries or mashed potatoes, etc. I think you’re saying that you do have to wait in another line for such things, right?</p>
<p>My “30 points per meal” was a typo; I really meant more like 20, assuming you wanted to order something “expensive” like salmon, a side dish, a drink, and maybe a cookie or whatever. But it sounds like people mostly don’t order like that.</p>
<p>Thank you!</p>
<p>Yeah, most people tend not to order like that. Maybe a salad on the side, but it’s pretty rare to see people ordering an entree and then also, for example, a plate of vegetables. Grill sides are much more common. You can walk right up to the grill and order fries, onion rings, wings, etc. without even waiting in line. Or, if you ordered your entree from the grill, you can indicate what side you want on your ticket and you’ll get everything at the same time. Like someone said in a different thread earlier, if you’re trying to have some balance between all of the food groups, it’s probably easier to do that over several different meals rather than all at once in the same meal.</p>