The decision made last year to eliminate meal plan rollover isn’t the only change in dining services.
The old Chily’s Convenience Store received a fresh coat of paint this summer and a new name, Common’s Marketplace.
‘A lot of people are going away from the convenience stores because it doesn’t seem permanent. It seems like just a place you pass through so we wanted to make it a more homelike place,’ said Daria Blachowski-Dreyer, associate director of nutrition and menu management.
The new Common’s Marketplace will also feature ‘Salads by Design,’ where a number of salads such as Asian, Greek and orchard salads will be available and prepared fresh in front of students, Blachowski-Dreyer said.
The old Commons Buffet area will serve as overflow seating for BGSUb, but the buffet breakfast that used to be served there will move to Campus Corners, located on west side of McDonald Hall, on the weekend. The brunch will be served Saturday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Those will be the only meals served at Campus Corners though; the weekday night full-service restaurant will not be operating anymore.
‘Campus Corners outlived its time,’ Blachowski-Dreyer said. ‘Customer numbers were down despite positive food and service reviews.’
There are also new recipes for grab-n-go sandwiches, which can be found in refrigerators in the union and other dining facilities. Sandwiches include chicken salad and peanut butter and jelly, Blachowski-Dreyer said.
Another new addition will be at the Zza’s at Night window in the Union, which will be home to Cincinnati-style chili.
There have been several changes to the hours of operation of a few dining facilities. McDonald and Founders will now open at 10 a.m. because of the lack of breakfast traffic early in the morning, but each will serve breakfast items when they open, Blachowski-Dreyer said.
Temptations will open earlier at 7:30 a.m. to accommodate students who want some quick food on their way to class.
Meal plan rollover from previous years will end on May 2009. After that all money put on a student’s meal plan that is not spent by the end of the school year will go to the University.
There are three meal plan options for students living on campus, which jumped up in price 4.5 percent from last year. They include the Gold Plan, which costs $1,820 and includes $480 in Flex Funds, the Silver Plan at $1,670 includes $350 Flex Funds and the Bronze Plan at $1,400 includes $200 Flex Funds.
Flex Funds are money that can be spent at the Union’s dining services, which includes the Falcon’s Nest, Wendy’s, Starbucks, Black Swamp Pub, Bowling Greenery and Zza’s at Night.
Buying the ‘meal deal’ combos at dining halls are one way students can stretch their meal plan out but making sure their eyes aren’t bigger than their appetite is the best way, Blachowski-Dreyer said.
‘At the Sundial students see all the options there and they have a tendency to overspend,’ Blachowski-Dreyer said. ‘They see it and buy it but they should choose selectively and try and get the most nutrition for their dollar.’
Rob Lonardo, a second-year grad student, spent his undergraduate years here too and said he had a difficult time getting his money to last through the year but that his friends would buy him some meals.
‘I always had a problem at the end of the semester with my meal plan so I would find friends with a couple hundred dollars on their meal plan to help me out,’ Lonardo said.
