Meal Plans (fast plans..?)

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Southern California
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<p>SO after all that housing application rush, we have another choice to yet make....</p>

<p>meal plans...</p>

<p>SO i think this is our choices (for people who will live in new/north/birnkrant)</p>

<p>CARDINAL PLAN</p>

<p>Locations: New, North, & Birnkrandt Residence Halls, Deans Hall, Marks Tower, Flour Tower, Portland Street House & The Radisson
Plan Cost: $2175.00
Plan Summary:
Provides 10 meals per week
Weekly meals may be used interchangeably in both Everybody's Kitchen (EVK) & Parkside Restaurant (IRC) for breakfast & lunch and for dinner in Everybody's Kitchen
$510 Dining Dollars may be used in most TrojanHospitality Services locations
This plan provides one guest meal per month </p>

<pre><code> “FAST PASS” VALUE ENHANCEMENT OPTION
</code></pre>

<p>The Cardinal “Fast Pass” Plan is an optional upgrade which enables unlimited meal swipes on any given meal plan day throughout the semester enabling visits for snacks, beverages, and socializing as well as regular meal services
This plan includes Everybody's Kitchen & Parkside Restaurant for breakfast, lunch, and weekend brunch and Everybody's Kitchen for dinner on a daily basis. This optional plan does not include dining dollars
The plan provides one guest meal per month </p>

<p>TROJAN PLAN</p>

<p>Locations: Available as an upgrade for all meal plan participants except those residing in Parkside Suites & Parkside Apartments
Plan Cost: $2700.00
Plan Summary:
May be used in all residential dining and almost all retail dining venues without time restrictions
This is a declining balance plan that resets at the end of each semester
Provides access to the Upstairs Café Restaurant and the "Room Service" delivery program </p>

<p><a href="http://hospitality.usc.edu/residential/index.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://hospitality.usc.edu/residential/index.html&lt;/a>
here's some more, but it's last years information.. i don't think there's anything new BESIDE THE PRICE!</p>

<p>People have told me trojan's the best but it's few hundred more dollars that i could use elsewhere (and i heard you waste it by the end of the year) </p>

<p>I've been thinking about the cardinal fast pass.. it seems like a good option (same price) and you can just go in and out of the cafeteria whenever you want... (unlimited meals) i looked this up in this forums and there was only one thread about it... I know you get tired of the food really fast but we are required to have one so.,. would you recommend it over the other meal plans?</p>

<p>And i plan on using discresh or whatever it was called next year (trying to save few bucks) in the end, would it cost more than the meal plans or less? I guess it depends on how much you eat and stuff, but eating around 14 meals a week? (well i gotta eat on the weekends)</p>

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<p>NO! DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT take the Fast Pass!</p>

<p>I know two people who did that their first semester. From what I heard, it was really a miserable experience. As I've said countless times before, you will grow tired of the dining hall food and soon explore other places on or off campus to eat.</p>

<p>Here's a tip when calculating meals for the week: if you have a day where your first class isn't until 11 or so, don't count breakfast in; I promise you that you will be sleeping during the morning hrs before class. Also, on weekends the dining halls serve brunch in place of Breakfast and Lunch. Again, you will be sleeping in pretty late on weekends.</p>

<p>And if you do have to get up early, just do what I do for breakfast: my roommate and I keep pop-tarts, cereal, and milk in our room. Once in awhile (usually Friday for me) we might pig-out at EVK for breakfast.</p>

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<p>Trojan plan all the way ^^</p>

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<p>^ once again i can't take the trojan plan because its so much more expensive....</p>

<p>so fast pass is a bad idea..? sigh.</p>

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<p>The fast pass may get boring, but it is cheaper.</p>

<p>Cardinal plan is 10 meals per week, plus $510 dining dollars per semester. This works out to $31.875 per week in dining dollars. Can you get 9 (or whatever number of) meals for that $31.875 (an average of $3.54 per meal, based on 9 additional meals per week)? It would be tough to do.</p>

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<p>Well, the thing is that you will most likely be eating lunch between classes with friends. In that case, your friends are probably going to eat at places like Carl's, Commons, the Grill, etc, where they take dining dollars and discresh only. You can put discresh on your card for the purpose of eating at those venues with your friends, but of course you are adding additional costs to your meal plan.</p>

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<p>redski,
Are there grocery stores within walking distance of campus? I don't recall seeing one when I visited.</p>

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<p>momofchris, I frequently go to Superior which is located in UV, just outside gate 5. There's also Smart & Final on Vermont, which is outside gate 2, although I personally dislike that store cuz it's not clean. Finally, there is Ralph's, but it is a bit of a walk as it's 2-3 blocks north of campus on Vermont.</p>

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<p>Isn't the buffet only $7? Then wouldn't the Cardinal Plan be ripping you off some $300?</p>

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<p>So redski, is there a meal plan you suggest?</p>

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<p>^ Well, I'm doing ok with the standard Gold plan (same as Cardinal). As of now, I have $60 dining dollars left, with 2 1/2 wks left to use them. I usually eat lunch elsewhere on campus and dinner at Parkside. Once in a while, I might go to Subway.</p>

<p>What I would say is if you don't mind getting Trojan, get it and just spend lavishly on stuff like coke, candy, etc.</p>

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<p>Coke and candy? lol are you trying to make me gain the Freshman 15?! ;) </p>

<p>So Cardinal it is... (oh, do you know how meals are at EVK? I had breakfast there for Explore, and it wasn't that impressive. And I heard that it's called "Evil Kitchen" because of the food repetition?)</p>

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<p>
[quote]
And I heard that it's called "Evil Kitchen" because of the food repetition?

[/quote]
lol, Parkside has repetition too. I'd call it Evil Kitchen cuz the food isn't so spectacular. Although the breakfast is awesome; I'm betting you didn't try out the waffle maker...but then I don't eat often at EVK, so I can't make the best opinion of it.</p>

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<p>EVK
<a href="http://hospitality.usc.edu/residential/evk.asp?week=this%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://hospitality.usc.edu/residential/evk.asp?week=this&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Parkside
<a href="http://hospitality.usc.edu/residential/irc.asp?week=this%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://hospitality.usc.edu/residential/irc.asp?week=this&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Commons
<a href="http://hospitality.usc.edu/retail/Commons/index.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://hospitality.usc.edu/retail/Commons/index.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>what is HSC ??
<a href="http://hospitality.usc.edu/hsc/menus.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://hospitality.usc.edu/hsc/menus.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Retail?
<a href="http://hospitality.usc.edu/hsc/retail.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://hospitality.usc.edu/hsc/retail.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>No I didn't try the waffle maker (there's a waffle maker?!)... Do the majority of students eat dinner on-campus or off?</p>

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<p>
[quote]
what is HSC ??
Retail?

[/quote]
uhhh, that would be the medical school campus, ie. it doesn't apply to any of us.</p>

<p>Misoobishi, most freshmen do eat dinner on-campus.</p>

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<p><a href="http://hospitality.usc.edu/Presentations/Survey_files/frame.htm%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://hospitality.usc.edu/Presentations/Survey_files/frame.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>Hm. I think I'll get Cardinal. I don't eat much anyway.</p>

<p>We should all get together and have dinner!</p>

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<p><a href="http://hospitality.usc.edu/Schedules/meal_plans_brochure.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://hospitality.usc.edu/Schedules/meal_plans_brochure.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

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<p>Hour Open/Closed</p>

<p><a href="http://hospitality.usc.edu/images/operating_hours.jpg%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://hospitality.usc.edu/images/operating_hours.jpg&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>