<p>What meal plans do you or your D/S have? Are they working out? Do some plans work out better in Towers vs other housing? When do you use dining dollars vs the meal plan?</p>
<p>Hi! My daughter has the plan that gives her 75 "dining passes" and $750 in dining dollars per semester. That worked out fine for her, and she had to "tank up" at the end to use up both. (You can buy water and Gatorade and stuff like that with the dining dollars.) She liked Market Central and ate there pretty often, and a lot of times a group of kids from her floor in Tower B would go down together, so it was a social thing. That's where you use a pass, in Market Central. It's "all you care to eat," and it's open pretty late at night. And of course it's very convenient for kids who live in Towers or in nearby dorms. Based on my daughter's experience, I would recommend getting a low number of passes unless your kid is a hearty eater or an athlete. I think if your kid runs out of passes, then the dining dollars kick in. But you should check that. Also, if your kid has a really big appetite, the Ultimate Access might be the way to go.</p>
<p>He doesn't like fast food - into fruit, vegetables, salads, and healthy foods. Is that type of food mostly in Market Central?</p>
<p>My daughter's into healthy eating also. She's doing fine at what's offered in Market Central. There's salad, an Asian station, pasta, etc. You can check out the menus: Market</a> Central</p>
<p>Also, if you want to put extra money on his Panther Card, there are all sorts of places to eat on Forbes Avenue: Japanese, Chinese, Middle Eastern, Italian, Mexican, etc.</p>
<p>Seems to make sense to underestimate rather than overestimate the dining passes since dining dollars can be used if you run out of dining passes.</p>
<p>My son always had trouble using up whatever meal plan we chose, and we picked just about the smallest one possible. From my experience, I would err on the side of a smaller plan.</p>
<p>How is the food? Last time we visited they said they were getting a new vendor?</p>
<p>When D was home for break (she's a second year), she said the new service in Towers is a huge improvement over last year. Also she liked the fact that the new Market Central stays open til after midnite, whereas I think she said last year they closed at 7pm! She said this year's freshmen have it a lot better than she and her friends did, both in food quality and access.</p>
<p>Ditto the advice to get the plan with the least meals and the most dining dollars, unless the kid has a truly hearty appetite. The dining dollars can be used at lots of places on campus. Also we put part of the food budget on the Panther Card with Panther cash that is taken at various restaurants in Oakland. The combination gives them lots of choices and more flexibility.</p>
<p>I agree with what Mercymom said, above. My daughter is very happy with the food, and she's fairly picky in the sense that she doesn't like to eat junk food. Does the tiramisu at Joe Mama's count? Gosh, that stuff is good! :)</p>
<p>Ordering the smallest dining plan seems to be the way to go. You can always add dining dollars for other options, as well. Kids seems to like food at the Union, the Pete center, and the Cathedral, as well. There are many more options this year with the opening of Market Central, as well. There are also many options on Forbes(5 guys, fuel and fuddle, panera, etc)-lots of decent choices!</p>
<p>Can I add dining dollars during the semester if they get low?</p>
<p>Yes, you can.</p>
<p>Dining Dollars didn't really seem worth it to us because it is really just stored money. DD are just like cash and if a student has a debit card, that really covers everything. However, if you don't use up the DD, you lose them. So, at the end of the semester, all of the kids with excess DD buy up all of the non-perishable stuff from the cafeteria such as pop and chips. If you do this, shop early!</p>
<p>I was going to ask if the DDs carried over semesters. Nice to know they don't. Did your kid get a PNC debit card? I'm trying to find out about those.</p>
<p>Yes, your student will need a PNC checking account and a debit card in order to get cash out of the ATMs near campus, unless you want to pay a fee every time. You can also link the PNC account to the Panther Card, but we didn't do that yet.</p>
<p>Yes, he has a PNC debit card, separate from his ID card (less likely to lose it, I think)</p>
<p>i'm a second semester freshman, and everyone i know had to reduce their meal passes for this semester. the best way to go is the third tier, IMO. Also, I wouldn't worry too much about getting a PNC bank card before getting to Pitt, there are people swarming from the bank throughout the first few weeks & it's easy to sign up. it is definitely nice to have one though since there are two atm machines right in towers lobby.</p>
<p>I'd agree w/ oceangirl. My daughter, mid-way through her sophomore year, has cut back her meal plan twice. </p>
<p>And, it was easier to GET a PNC card than avoid the sign-up people! But, it's been a good account, no fees, easy ATM access. And she kept hers separate from her ID card too.</p>
<p>We are OOS and my D does not have a PNC account. Her bank is here at home. But, she has free ATM withdrawals from any bank's ATM (up to five per month free)and she can use her debit card anywhere and even get cash back that way for free. We figured if she needed to use an ATM more than once per week, something is wrong with her budgeting skills! So depending on your home bank, a PNC account may not be necessary. It has worked out very well for us so far. </p>
<p>Don't forget that you can add $$ to their Panther funds any time, and that can be used at so many off-campus dining places. We ended up reducing her meal plan a lot this semester b/c of so many unused meals. And if you don't want to have to worry about losing Dining Dollars, use Panther funds.</p>