<p>I will of course post the response as soon as I get one.</p>
<p>I plan to follow up in a week if I don’t hear back. Perhaps the FSView might be interested in running an editorial on this.</p>
<p>Yes Matt! You must contact them!</p>
<p>Did you read the article above that I posted the link to? It seems that all Aramark-run university dining facilities have the same issues. Interesting that our prices are the higher than both UF and UCF, though. And I don’t think UF has any dorms with mandatory meal plans.</p>
<p>Yeah, it looks like FSU is getting screwed compared to UF. I didn’t look up UCF’s or USF’s plans.</p>
<p>7-Day All Access Plus:
UF- $2146 (after tax), with $450 FlexBucks. (Net: $1696)
FSU- $2150, with $350 FlexBucks. (Net: $1800)
FSU loses by $104</p>
<p>Cheapest 7-Day All Access Plan:
UF- $1896 (after tax), with $200 FlexBucks (Net: $1696)
FSU- $1999, with $150 FlexBucks. (Net: $1849)
FSU loses by $153</p>
<p>UF also has the option of a Weekly 14 plan, which is $1837 after tax, and includes $300 in FlexBucks. </p>
<p>Are there any actual advantages FSU’s meal plans have over UF’s?</p>
<p>It may be more expensive for them to operate in Tallahasee due to the distance from their distribution centers (not sure where they are) or the slightly higher cost of operating in a city vs a college town in rural Florida.</p>
<p>What’s interesting though is that there are no mandatory meal plans at UF.</p>
<p>From UCF’s website:
[Welcome</a> to CampusDish at the University of Central Florida!](<a href=“http://www.campusdish.com/en-US/CSS/UnivCentralFlorida/MealPlans/MealPlansHome.htm]Welcome”>http://www.campusdish.com/en-US/CSS/UnivCentralFlorida/MealPlans/MealPlansHome.htm)</p>
<p>Get your meal plan today to check out some of our awesome dining hall additions:</p>
<p>Xbox 360 gaming console with Kinect
Study lounge
Free wireless Internet
Comfortable lounge seating
Flat screen TVs
Full-service espresso bar
Mongolian grill
Brick-oven pizza
Extended morning and late-night hours</p>
<p>DON’T FORGET!
Each Fall/Spring Meal Plan purchase comes with a 2-in-1 Tumbler and a To-Go Box!</p>
<p>All Access 7<br>
Unlimited visits (Monday-Sunday) to the Marketplace & Knightro’s + $50 Knight Cash<br>
$1,861.00 +Tax Per Semester</p>
<p>All Access 5<br>
Unlimited visits (Monday-Friday) to the Marketplace & Knightro’s + $50 Knight Cash<br>
$1,703.00 +Tax Per Semester</p>
<p>Any 14<br>
14 meals per week at the Marketplace & Knightro’s +$50 Knight Cash<br>
$1,545.00 +Tax Per Semester</p>
<p>Note: The fall semester meal plan begins on Aug. 17, 2012 with lunch, and ends Dec. 12, 2012 after lunch. The spring semester meal plan begins Jan. 5, 2013 with lunch, and ends May 1, 2013 after lunch. The dining halls will close during the following dates, but please note that updated hours of operation will be posted at [Welcome</a> to CampusDish at the University of Central Florida!](<a href=“http://www.ucfdining.com:%5DWelcome”>http://www.ucfdining.com
Thanksgiving break: closed Nov. 21, 2012 after lunch, re-opens Nov. 25, 2012 for dinner. Winter break: closed Dec. 12, 2012 after lunch, re-opens Jan. 5, 2013 for lunch. Spring break: closed Mar. 1, 2013 after. dinner, re-opens Mar. 10, 2013 for dinner.</p>
<p>I thought that the mandatory plans at FSU were in trade for Aramark’s financial contribution toward dorm renovations in buildings such as Landis Hall and others.</p>
<p>FSUDAD1, if that’s true, it was a terrible idea. I wouldn’t mind it so much if there was less of a committment. It looks like USF has the most variety of the schools, but they offer the smaller plans only to off-campus residents and upperclassmen.</p>
<p>[Welcome</a> to CampusDish at the University of South Florida!](<a href=“http://www.campusdish.com/en-US/CSS/UnivSouthFlorida/MealMemberships/]Welcome”>http://www.campusdish.com/en-US/CSS/UnivSouthFlorida/MealMemberships/)</p>
<p>I wonder if FSU had any input into how the meal plans were to be structured. Could they really be in favor of what Aramark is charging for their plans? Maybe if they believe all the benefits of eating on campus, they should have negotiated a much smaller mandatory meal plan for all freshmen, like many out of state schools do. That way, no one would have to spend $2000 + a semester, and would be able to have some variety in what they ate so they wouldn’t get sick of the food so fast.</p>
<p>Why can’t we have something similar to these USF plans?:</p>
<p>These plans are available exclusively to returning on campus residents and students living off campus!</p>
<p>Fall 2012/Spring 2013 - Block Meal Plan Details </p>
<p>BULLBlock 60
$350 Dining Dollars and 60 meals per semester. Averages 3-4 meals per week for the semester. $735.00 per semester
($6.00 plus tax per meal)</p>
<p>BULLBlock 40
$375 Dining Dollars and 40 meals per semester. Averages 2-3 meals per week for the semester. $640.00 per semester
($6.19 plus tax per meal)</p>
<p>I did some investigating and found out that Aramark was guaranteed 1500 meal plans when Suwannee Dining Hall was renovated (I’m guessing they paid at least a large part of the cost). FSU chose the renovated halls to fulfill this requirement. </p>
<p>I don’t have a problem with that, just the fact that the meal plans are overpriced. I hope FSU will be able to find a fair solution to this obligation. One idea would be that all freshmen would have a much smaller mandatory plan, maybe a $500 block plan minimum per semester that wouldn’t be price gouging.</p>
<p>Just a thought, anyone else have other ideas?</p>
<p>I was told by someone in the housing dept a while back that the reason for the mandatory meal plans was that Aramark helped fund the renovations of the east side halls. I found the interview with former housing director Dr. Moser (<a href=“http://ohp.fsu.edu/webpdf/2023_Moser.pdf[/url]”>http://ohp.fsu.edu/webpdf/2023_Moser.pdf</a>), and now see it was only to renovate the dining hall.</p>
<p>While I don’t think it was such a bad deal on FSU’s end, it would sure seem Aramark is taking full advantage of the contract by gouging FSU’s freshmen.</p>
<p>It’s time for them to be exposed.</p>
<p>Matt, that’s the interview I found as well. I just found this Finance and Administration document:</p>
<p><a href=“https://hrapps.fsu.edu/strategicplan2006-2011/vision.cfm?page_name=goal_keyacc&goal_val=24&year=2010[/url]”>https://hrapps.fsu.edu/strategicplan2006-2011/vision.cfm?page_name=goal_keyacc&goal_val=24&year=2010</a></p>
<p>On the second line of Key Accomplishments (2010) it states:</p>
<p>Business Services - Signed five-year extension of food services contract with Aramark through 2018</p>
<p>I would love to know how much input FSU has in the meal plan structure. I can’t believe they would allow Aramark to set these ridiculous prices and terms.</p>
<p>U.S. Senator Marco Rubio once wrote that “kitchens managed by ARAMARK rival those of 5-star restaurants in Florida.” Rubio probably thinks Burger King is a fine dining steakhouse too. <a href=“Florida Politics”>Florida Politics;
<p>ARAMARK used to do food-services for Florida’s prisons until a few years ago but didn’t renew contract with state after too many problems. ARAMARK likes captive customers like prisoners, oil rig workers on offshore platforms, and college students with mandatory meal plans who don’t have any other choices for eating.</p>
<p>I knew it was going to be a lot of wasted money when my son couldn’t find anything he wanted to eat at Suwannee during orientation and ended up making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches–and supposedly they serve the good stuff for orientation. He had to buy a meal plan and even buying the one with the least amount of meals, he left a lot unused. It wouldn’t be so bad if they’d let him use them for another student, but you can’t–they just go to waste.</p>
<p>wtztu,</p>
<p>You have to understand that the policy is in place to keep the discounts high. Otherwise, they’d have to charge $200 more than the price of buying meals individually to make up for it. </p>
<p>And besides, the salisbury steak covered in instant potatoes and gravy is almost the equivalent of a filet mignon at Bern’s Steak House. Don’t kid yourself; your son is lucky to have had the opportunity to have a meal membership with Seminole Dining!</p>
<p>I had the unlimited meal plan my freshman year and it wasn’t that bad; the meals were actually better than what my mom usually served me at home! The food was a lot better than just eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches too. I wish the meal plan had been cheaper but I guess that’s what makes the world spin–Aramark or anyone else doing the food-services work at FSU isn’t going to charge a rate for meal plans where they’d lose money.</p>
<p>Of course they are going to want to make a profit; that doesn’t excuse the OBVIOUS price gouging. Do the mealplans at USF and UF lose money? Did Aramark lose money in the final 2 weeks when they offered $5 meals? Or do they profit an exorbitant amount on meal plans catalyzed by a mandate for over 1500 FSU freshmen to purchase meal plans? </p>
<p>I received a response from someone in the Seminole Dining marketing department today, and they are going to discuss the concerns with me. I will post updates and answers to my questions when available.</p>
<p>Hope the reason Aramark charges more at FSU for meal plans than UF or USF isn’t because we are much bigger eaters and Aramark has to charge us more because of extra food costs. Maybe FSU serves better quality food and meat than the other schools? Maybe FSU gets a bigger “administrative expense” cut out of meal plan charge than the other schools…FSU surely needs all the extra money it can get to operate too.</p>
<p>I’m not sure of the reasons that they charge more, but having had children at both schools on the meal plans, and having eaten at both schools myself, I would definitely say that the food is better and of higher quality at UF. All of my children would say that, too. That’s why I’ve always thought it strange that FSU’s meal plan cost more. But then again, everything is a little more expensive at FSU when compared to UF.</p>
<p>As Tallalassie suggested, it’s very possible FSU charges Aramark more to be on campus or demands a higher cut. There’s also the real possibility that Aramark charges more knowing they can due to the mandatory meal plan.</p>
<p>That’s why I’ll be asking the questions. If the former is correct, they’ll be quick to answer with that and I’d be satisfied with the answer.</p>
<p>That still doesn’t explain why it’s cheaper to buy meals separately than to pre-order a semester’s worth of meals months in advance.</p>
<p>OK, read all this and happy to have found it! From what I see everyone says Garnet Bucks is a better way to go (D in Cawthorn so must have a meal plan)</p>
<p>If she eats @ school for lunch & dinner (breakfast in her dorm kitchen) during the week (other thread says lunch $7/ dinner $11) that would mean about $100/wk on campus…</p>
<p>Are there still 16 wks in a semester?? If so, $1,600 per semester (not including weekends) vs approx $1900+ for ‘meal plan’…am I reading this right? If I then add approx. another $500 for wkends and/or groceries than we are looking at over $2K…</p>
<p>Expensive any way you look at it, but the Garnet Bucks has more flexibility and is prob the way to go for the 1st semester, till she figures out her routine…Yes?</p>