College dining hall food

[bcla]

I never lived in a dorm, so I don't have too much experience with dining hall meals. I typically found the cheapest places to eat off campus (or sometimes on campus) or lived off of what I could find in vending machines. Occasionally I'd pack a lunch. I think I might have eaten once with my cousin, who was living in a dorm at the same school. There was a public price - Might have been about $5. Don't really remember too much about it other than meeting her friends. The meal itself certainly wasn't too memorable.

I still live reasonably near campus and took my kid around the other day. We had a peek inside and it actually looked pretty nice compared to the stuff that used to be around maybe 30 years ago. I thought of maybe trying it out some time. The prices aren't actually that bad. Maybe $14 for dinner and about $10 for a child. Seems comparable to Golden Corral prices. Maybe less since I'm pretty sure they include beverages.

I do remember attending a family retreat at a college campus. Meals in the dining commons were included. We had a field day and I'd think it was better than many buffets I've had in my day. This was before school had started so it was a lot of people there for summer sessions and maybe some athletes since their seasons and practice started before the beginning of the school year.

I was just thinking it might feel a little odd just a family dining at a place like that.

 

[lalasmama]

Wrong area. Oops.

 

[Praying Colonel]

I didn't really care for my dining hall when I was in college. The best meal was Saturday night, when you could get either steak or shrimp with baked potato and salad. Everybody turned out for that. Some figured out how to get a steak on one side of the hall, leave, come back in on the other side and get shrimp. They probably would've allowed it anyway, but many enjoyed feeling like they gamed the system. (Of course, I personally would never do such a thing. )

I gained a new appreciation for dining hall food when I graduated from college and had to shop, cook and clean up after the meal was finished. Suddenly the idea of just showing up and having a meal somebody else cooked for me and washed my dishes afterward sounded really good.

We ate with DS at his university dining hall and it was really good--reminded me of the food court at Pop Century or maybe a step below Sunshine Seasons. Lots of different stations where they had good options.

 

[cabanafrau]

A random family just dropping in to eat at a college dining hall? Yeah, that's odd all right.

 

[Christine]

I didn't think you could just dine at one without having a student get you in.

We dined with my son a few times but he had is student ID and we were his guests.

 

[disykat]

I went back in the day when it was dining hall only. I don't remember ever seeing visitors there, though they had a guest price that was meant for off campus students who didn't have a dining plan. If you lived in the dorm it was part of the price and there was no partial or you're on your own option. If parents visited, you ate out. I NEVER saw one in the dining hall.

My kids had all sorts of options and and it was basically a food court that you bought credits for. We ate there when we visited and there were menus with prices just like at the mall food court. You saw mostly students, but lots of visiting family etc. of all ages too. One son went to school in a small town, so I'm sure neighboring families ate at the food court too sometimes. That school had a dining hall option but it cost per meal more than my son would spend a la cart, so I don't think he ever ate there - except maybe once or twice when they had a special meal advertised. He said mostly athletes ate there because it was all you can eat. That dining room was separate from the food court so I never saw it.

 

[jaybirdsmommy]

A random family just dropping in to eat at a college dining hall? Yeah, that's odd all right.

When I was growing up, the local state university's main dining hall was one of the most popular places in town for Sunday lunch (yes, we had plenty of other restaurants available). We also ate there a lot as a family when my mother worked evenings (campus librarian).

Not sure if it would be allowed now or not?

 

[pezgirlroy]

You would not be able to do that where I went to school.

 

[bcla]

I didn't really care for my dining hall when I was in college. The best meal was Saturday night, when you could get either steak or shrimp with baked potato and salad. Everybody turned out for that. Some figured out how to get a steak on one side of the hall, leave, come back in on the other side and get shrimp. They probably would've allowed it anyway, but many enjoyed feeling like they gamed the system. (Of course, I personally would never do such a thing. )

I gained a new appreciation for dining hall food when I graduated from college and had to shop, cook and clean up after the meal was finished. Suddenly the idea of just showing up and having a meal somebody else cooked for me and washed my dishes afterward sounded really good.

We ate with DS at his university dining hall and it was really good--reminded me of the food court at Pop Century or maybe a step below Sunshine Seasons. Lots of different stations where they had good options.

I looked at a sign and it said "all you want" suggesting that they consider it a full buffet. I guess they rely on most students with dining plans realizing how unhealthy it would get to simply unload on them every meal. But I could imagine the student scraping by on Top Ramen most days paying the cash price and just filling up once a week.

I don't think I've made it any secret where I live. Here are the prices:

https://caldining.berkeley.edu/visiting/guestshttps://caldining.berkeley.edu/meal-plans/19-20/living-off-campus
So anyone with "flex dollars" can use it even for guests. And with a plan there's a discount compared to the off the street price. I wasn't sure what was the purpose of spending $1400 for 1400 "flex dollars" but then it sounds like it allows the discounted prices using them.

 

[bcla]

A random family just dropping in to eat at a college dining hall? Yeah, that's odd all right.

I didn't think you could just dine at one without having a student get you in.

We dined with my son a few times but he had is student ID and we were his guests.

The only time I remember it was so long ago I wasn't sure if they asked if I was the guest of someone with a meal plan or not. I was also a student, but I don't remember if I had to flash my student ID. I do remember that my typical meal was a rather large $1 slice of cheese pizza, so $5 was splurging.

But here's the description:

https://caldining.berkeley.edu/visiting/guests​

The last time I had anything at a college dining hall was when we were at that retreat at UC Davis. We were required to show them wristbands for our particular event, but they had cash registers and are apparently open to the public. My kid just kept on coming back for their popsicles. I don't see a public price though.

https://housing.ucdavis.edu/dining/dining-commons/​

Dining commons are the primary location where residence hall residents eat, but they are also are open to the campus community and the public. Meal plans provide access to all three dining commons. Paying at the door is an option for those without a meal plan.​

 

[RedAngie]

A random family just dropping in to eat at a college dining hall? Yeah, that's odd all right.

You'd be surprised. The main dining hall at Rutgers in the early 80's used to attract many local families for Sunday dinner. Not that the food was anything more than adequate. But I suppose it was cheap compared to a restaurant and you could get seconds or thirds or even more.

 

[AndreaDM]

A random family just dropping in to eat at a college dining hall? Yeah, that's odd all right.

There's a comedian who talks about traveling with his family when he was young and how his dad would seek out the hospitals in the places they visited because the hospital cafeteria was the cheapest place to eat.

 

[Southernmiss]

At the 2 instate public colleges I have recently visited, it would be odd to see a random family eating dinner there on an ordinary Thursday night.

Parking is tight and by pass only. And security today (as other places) is very different on college campuses than in times past.

Game day, or college visits or an event where folks were invited to the campus; yea there'd be families eating at the food court. But it would be weird for Smith family just traveling through town to pop in for dinner.

The food court offerings are good and there are stations with a variety of options to meet a variety of dietary needs at both campuses which recently revamped their service. There are also a couple of other places around campus to eat, too.

The off campus restaurants are also plentiful and good in each of these towns.

At the private college that my child had a 2 week camp at this summer, the food was not worth writing home about. Typical cafeteria food with a couple of entree choices and a lot of "down home" cooking that wasn't appealing to one on a healthier diet.

Many colleges now require first year students who live a distance away to stay on campus and purchase a specific meal plan for the year. So that's where the "flex" information comes in.

 

[bcla]

Many colleges now require first year students who live a distance away to stay on campus and purchase a specific meal plan for the year. So that's where the "flex" information comes in.

At least at UC Berkeley the flexibility would be to use "flex dollars" at any campus dining hall, restaurant, or even campus/residence hall convenience store. Still - we're talking Berkeley here so there's plenty of other options. I think also the flexibility to pay for a guest. I don't get the pricing though. There's not necessarily much of an initial discount, but they have one where $50 buys 55 flex dollars once the initial amount is exhausted.

 

[kdonnel]

The food at colleges has greatly improved.

Way back when dinosaurs still roamed the earth and I was in college the only day that I looked forward to eating was Sunday nights.

Other nights included such abominations as chicken fried pork steak. Three different types of meat are mentioned in that one dish.

They did keep the cereal out for all meals and a make your own sandwich bar for lunch and dinner so I did not go hungry.

The college my daughter attends posts a public rate on their web page.

It is $9.25 for breakfast and $13 for lunch/dinner.

 

[Southernmiss]

The kids with meal plans get a certain number of swipes which equals a full meal.

The flex dollars can be used to grab a snack or smaller items. Or at the end of the semester, my kids have sometimes had extra flex dollars so they would use them up on several items.

I admit, I know just the basics about the meal plans as I expect my young adult kids to keep up with their own stuff.

 

[Searc]

Where DH and I went to college, our dining hall had two different sides. One side was always the same, with hamburgers, nachos, etc and the other side was a rotating menu of things like meatloaf with mashed potatoes and gravy and green beans, hot dishes with sides, spaghetti with different sauces and garlic bread, salad bar, etc. Our student ID was swiped before we went in and food was unlimited once you swiped in. We had number of meals per week, not dollar credits. We had other places to eat on campus, but our main dining hall was by far the busiest.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Columbia U. allows visitors to stay at different dorms (for a price) and eat on campus during off times. I suspect the food isn't that great since the nearby restaurants do a thriving business on CU students.

My undergrad years were spent at the hotel management school at Cornell. Good culinary efforts there whether in the dorm cafeterias or student housing. No idea if dorms were rented to visitors during off season.

 

[NotUrsula]

I eat at campus dining facilities all the time, because my work takes me to a lot of campuses. In almost every case, the cash price is higher than a student or faculty member with an ID would pay, even if they were not using a dining debit card, which is cheapest of all. I find that for the most part you can choose to eat junk or nicer food, the catch being that the junk is quicker (because it is prepared ahead and kept warm) and usually a bit cheaper.

I remember college food very fondly; it was very good stuff on my campus. Still is, if you eat at the real-deal dining halls rather than the franchise food courts.

 

[1GoldenSun]

I teach at a university (as I finish my PhD, so I am also a student) and the food in the cafeterias is awesome--I eat there quite often and sometimes take DH and/or the kids. You don't have to be a student or show id but parking would be tricky without a campus parking permit.

There are food stations--pizza (lots of different kinds, some "interesting" like pear and brie, etc.), made-to order pasta, hot food areas based on different ethnicities which vary daily (Indian, Korean, Cajun, etc.) a vegan station, an incredible and very fresh salad bar, a halal station, soups, a burger and sandwich station with made-to-order sandwiches and subs and a featured cold and hot sandwich of the day, freshly made potato chips every day, and a hot "comfort food" station with something like pot roast or pork loin or meatloaf with all the fixings. There is also a cereal bar, a dessert bar, and drink stations with hot and iced tea, coffee, fruit juices, and milk (all different kinds including nut milks and chocolate soy milk). Also an ice-cream machine.

You can have all you want and it's very reasonably priced. Breakfast is good too.

My college cafeteria in the late 80s was actually pretty good but there wasn't nearly as much variety.