Tips for Choosing a Meal Plan

By: Courtney Mueller

Before your student moves to campus, there are many important decisions to be made, including choosing a resident dining plan. This guide will help explain the differences between meal plans and the benefits of each, and will hopefully help to make this decision much easier. Some general information to remember: a “meal” refers to one visit to Marketplace at the BARC or Marketplace Express. These community dining halls offer a variety of options at each meal, and meals are “all you care to eat” within the dining hall (like a buffet restaurant, food cannot be taken to-go). Students are welcome to as many servings as they would like from any station at each visit. All meal plans are issued per semester, and students are welcome to change their plan for the following semester if they choose.

Freshmen and sophomores living on campus can choose from 2 basic types of plans: Unlimited and Block:

• Unlimited plans allow a student access to Marketplace at the BARC and Marketplace Express as many times a day as they want, as long as it is within the hours designated by the plan. Each plan below provides unlimited access to brunch and dinner on weekends. All Unlimited plans also come with Dining Dollars for use at a dozen retail restaurants and cafés across campus.

Diamond Plan provides unlimited access during all open hours. This plan is by far the most popular plan for freshmen because it provides the most flexibility.

Sapphire Plan provides unlimited access from 10:30 am through closing time at dinner, Monday through Friday, or in other words, any time after breakfast. This is great for the student who generally skips the morning meal or likes to sleep in late. The included Dining Dollars can be used for morning coffee and snacks from the cafés across campus, as well as the occasional breakfast in Marketplace at the BARC.

Ruby Plan provides unlimited access from 7 am through 2 pm, Monday through Friday, which makes it a great plan for the student who will usually miss dinner due to extracurricular events or an evening job. Students can use their included Dining Dollars for dinner at any retail location, including the Marketplace at the BARC.

• Block plans have a finite number of meals, so they are great plans for students who are comfortable managing within a budget. Block plans also come with an increased amount of Dining Dollars, giving a student more retail dining power.

Block A plan provides 150 meals per semester in the dining hall with no time restrictions, and $400 Dining Dollars.

Block B plan provides 120 meals per semester in the dining hall with no time restrictions, and $600 Dining Dollars.

There is a Block C, but it is unavailable to students who have not fulfilled the University’s residency requirement. However, it is the plan of choice for juniors and seniors living on or near campus.

Student habits usually line up neatly with one of the above options, with a vast majority of freshmen choosing the Diamond Plan. The first semester is a natural adjustment period, and the unlimited flexibility of the Diamond Plan allows students the greatest level of adaptability as they adjust to campus life.

What about changing meal plans? If your student has picked a meal plan already but is having a change of heart, note that changes can be made through the first Friday of the first week of school. After that time, students can only change to a higher value plan. Your student’s choice of meal plan will automatically repeat for spring semester unless they opt to change. Just like in the fall, changes must be completed by the first Friday of the spring semester.

If you still have questions about which meal plan to start with, please don’t hesitate to call Zag Dining at (509)313-6906. Our staff would be happy to answer your questions and help you – and your student – choose the right meal plan. Summer hours are Monday through Friday, 9 am to 3 pm PST. You can always find us on line at ZagDining.sodexomyway.com. And we will also be available across campus during orientation weekend to introduce our team and answer your questions. We look forward to meeting you this fall!