Nicole Blanchard
Editor-in-Chief
“I always say if you’re going to eat on campus, the best way to do it is with a plan,” said James Rich.
Rich is the marketing director for Idaho State University’s Chartwells food service, the company that brings students everything from Turner’s traditional three meals a day to ISU-made sushi in the Student Union.
College students are no strangers to the meal plan, especially those who have lived in campus dorms. Chartwells offers student residents conventional plans in semester and weekly setups. These combine cafeteria meals and Flex Money (“money” available on a student’s Bengal ID that is good at campus food locations) in various permutations.
But dorm-living students aren’t the only ISU students able to take advantage of meal planning.
“We have what we call commuter plans,” said Rich. “We offer plans ranging between $200 and $1,000.”
These commuter meal plans come at the face value cost of the available Flex Money, but the three most expensive of the four commuter plans come with an added bonus.
“The best thing is you’re able to get free meals at Turner and those come at no extra cost to you. We usually have a coupon that will give you 10 percent additional Flex for free,” added Rich.
These plans can be purchased at www.isu.edu/food.
Unlike on-campus dining plans, the Flex Money and meals do not expire at the semester’s end.
“The commuter plans don’t expire unless you go 365 days without using it,” explained Rich, “so if you go 364 days without using it, you come in and use it, you have another 365 days.”
He said the 365-day limitation is only in place as a measure for Chartwells to clear out their computer database of students who have left campus, presumably for good.
While $500 or $1,000 in campus-only dining may seem steep to some, Rich pointed out another accommodation that might appeal to commuting students.
“If a group of students want to come in and buy into the $1,000 meal plan to get the perks, we’ll split that between their [student ID] cards,” he said.
Though critics of university meal plans sometimes tout them as overpriced and unnecessary, Rich said commuter plans can help save students money by offering a simple way to keep track of finances.
“If, at the beginning of the semester, you say, ‘I only want to spend x dollars on food on campus,’ it’s a good budgeting tool,” he said.
Chris Gilliam, director of dining services, said cost comparisons can often be misleading.
“It can be tough for any average student to compare,” he said. “When you’re cooking and preparing your own meals, that’s a lot of lost time.”
Gilliam said the convenience of being able to eat on campus might absorb some of the cost difference, especially for students who are already living on campus.
“It’s convenience you’re paying for, too,” he said.
Flex Money can also be purchased dollar-for-dollar and is accepted at all campus food locations except for Jamba Juice in the SUB and the College of Technology’s cafeteria.
Though some universities have off-campus businesses and food franchises that accept Flex Money, that idea is still in basic deliberation for ISU.
“It can affect our overall model,” said Gilliam. “It might skew our abilities to be able to provide certain services.”
Gilliam pointed out that independent franchises such as Einstein Bros. and Mandalay Express are already available to students in the SUB, and those businesses accept Flex Money.
In addition to accommodating commuting students, Chartwells is looking to satisfy more student customers by offering a wider variety of specialized food items.
Gilliam explained that gluten-free items are a priority for Chartwells, as well as allergen-free and low-cost options.
According to Rich, an upcoming initiative focuses on offering items that are free of the top eight most common allergens. Chartwells will also focus on providing options for students following vegan and vegetarian diets.
“Students help shape Chartwells, so we do whatever it takes to accommodate them,” said Gilliam.
