<p>This past weekend, D and I attended an honors open house at Ohio State. It consisted mainly of tours of the honors dorms and an information session. However, lunch was served in Baker Commons, which has not been remodeled since I ate there 25 years ago. There was no variety of food and it was horrible. First off, I was surprised that OSU would have their potential honors students dine there, but D and I became concerned that maybe there are not better dining options? Other schools we visited had different food stations and much higher quality. Does anyone know what dining options are available to use as part of the standard meal plan? If Baker Commons is typical, I guess D doesn’t need to worry about the freshman 10!</p>
<p>Last year, I thought the food at the honors open house was okay. My husband thought it was bad and worried about our son eating enough. Now that DS has finished the better part of his freshman year, I can say he likes the food there. He mentioned Fresh Express and some place that makes burritos and stays open really late. Also there a ton off places to eat around High Street. I have to admit, he asked to have his meal plan reduced to the Gray Plan this quarter and requested more money on his Buck card instead. This fall, he’ll be in a dorm with a kitchen so he will have additional options.</p>
<p>there is way better food. Did you guys see the new union!? Or marketplace? The union alone has tons of restaurants and food options, no sweat.</p>
<p>Is there better food at OSU? Yes! There is so much more outside of Baker Commons. The new Union just opened at the beginning of this quarter and they have the Marketplace with food stations, Woody’s Tavern, and my favorite, Sloopy’s (mmm, country skillet). There are also plenty of other cafes on campus, and also everything on High Street if they will be using a BuckID or debit card.</p>
<p>We did see the Ohio Union (absolutely gorgeous) but did not know if the dining plan covered that or if that was paid via money on the Buck ID. What about the restaurants on high street? Is that paid with money on the Buck ID or a swipe? Sorry if my lingo is wrong; I have some learning to do.</p>
<p>Yes, definitely. The commons food isn’t very good, but it makes sense they have giant visiting groups eat there - that’s where they can make food for lots of people. In other places it’s like self-chosen salads, burritos, sandwiches, hot food like hamburgers or stir fry, etc, and that would take forever if hundreds of parents showed up to eat there at once.</p>
<p>The dining plan covers union food. Swipes don’t work anywhere off campus - they take buckID, but you need to pay from the money on it.</p>
<p>I never eat in the Commons, so I am mostly unfamiliar with how bad the food is there, but I have enjoyed the food I do eat on campus, and there is so much variety that I have yet to grow bored of it. Swipes can be used at any of the food places on campus, though at the Union there are some weird rules about when you can use swipes at Woody’s and Sloopy’s. There are lots of places to eat on campus where you can watch the employees make your panini/ pasta/ sandwich/ burrito, and lots of places for pizza and burgers too. My favorites are the Union restaurants, Marketplace, and Fresh Express, where I eat most of the time. The quality of the food seems high, and I think most people on campus are very happy with the options.</p>
<p>My D is a freshman and is very unhappy with the food at OSU. She lives off of salads, wraps, and sushi. I know she gets her food at Marketplace and the Union. There are times when she goes off campus to grab something for variety. The microwave in her room has come quite in handy as well. We visited a school back home in NY recently (she is thinking of transferring) and couldn’t believe the difference in food between the the schools.</p>
<p>For clarification for the OP - what doesn’t she enjoy about the food, editor?</p>
<p>She says the food at Kennedy Commons is “nasty.” Other than breakfast, the hot meals are not appealing in look or taste. She described one Mexican meal there looking and smelling very bad. A friend got sick after eating it. Plus, they do not offer items that she likes. She never returned. She said that no eatery at OSU even offers a simple meal of chicken fingers (supposedly there is one place, but it only offers it once a week). She just can’t locate dining that offers a good, hot meal. Sometimes she orders pasta or Asian food from Marketplace, but the wait is very long.</p>
<p>Once in a while she walks to the RPAC to eat because the selections there are on the healthy side. However, it’s a bit of a walk so she doesn’t do it all that often.</p>