Changes in Stanford’s campus eateries and student meal plans this school year have given community members new dining options but have also disappointed some students — in particular, fans of the Market at Munger, a campus food and convenience store that no longer accepts meal plan credit.
Stanford students who purchase a meal plan (required for residents of most dorms) can choose various balances of dining hall meals and “meal dollars” for use at select cafes and restaurants on campus. Those who choose a 10-meal-per-week plan, for example, receive 750 meal dollars per year, while those on a 19-meal-per-week plan receive none.
Pilot programs accepting meal dollars were discontinued over the summer at both the Market at Munger and Subway, which sits in Tresidder’s Union Square food court. However, three new locations on campus accept meal dollars: Russo Café at the Munger Graduate Residence building as well as BBQ101 and Stadium Grille, both of which just opened this fall in Tresidder. Students can now use their meal plan dollars at nine outlets around campus as well as at Arrillaga and Lakeside dining halls for late-night food.
A number of students spoke enthusiastically about the Tresidder restaurant additions, and few had qualms with the changes at Subway.
“With Subway, I feel like it doesn’t really matter,” said Josh Cohen ’17. “[Stanford] takes out some [meal dollars] and puts in some.”
But students overwhelmingly said that they would miss their meal dollars at the Market at Munger. Unlike current meal dollar locations, the market sells bulk food and non-food products such as toiletries. Although R&DE sees shifts in meal dollar usage as boosting students’ options for prepared meals, many students appreciate Munger’s non-meal items — a variety that R&DE also touted when the Market at Munger began using meal dollars in the summer of 2013 on a trial basis. At the time, R&DE hoped the system would give students with meal plans more flexibility in their purchases.
“I was looking forward to using my meal plan dollars this year at Munger especially,” said Astrid Casimire ’19. “You don’t always have time to go to the dining halls, depending on your schedule, and I’m trying not to go to Late Night as much because it’s not the most healthy.”
Jocelyn Breeland, a spokesperson for Residential and Dining Enterprises (R&DE), explained over email that the Market at Munger and Subway stopped using meal dollars for different reasons.
Subway could only accept meal dollars when it was operated by R&DE, she said. Now, the campus outlet is operated by a third party. Accordingly, Subway, like other third-party Tresidder vendors such as Starbucks and Panda Express, accepts only regular money and Cardinal Dollars, which allow cashless transactions through a Stanford ID card but do not come as part of student meal plans.
R&DE swapped meal dollars at the Market at Munger for other locations in order to provide better service, Breeland said.
“The purpose of meal plan dollars has always been to offer meal alternatives to complement the service offered in our dining halls,” she wrote. “The Market does not provide prepared meal options similar to the dining halls or cafés… [The three new locations] provide a more convenient and robust meal service.”
BBQ101 offers smoked meat and tofu. Stadium Grille, which replaced frozen yogurt shop Fraiche following summer renovations that temporarily closed much of Tresidder’s food court, serves sausages, hot dogs and wraps. Russo Café offers Italian food as well as a gelato bar, which relocated this fall from its original home in the Market at Munger. (As a result, and much to students’ approval, the popular dessert is still available for meal dollar purchase).
Breeland suggested that students who prefer locations without meal dollars such as Subway or the Market at Munger buy Cardinal Dollars from R&DE. The money comes with a 10 percent bonus. For every $100 that a person spends on Cardinal Dollars, R&DE adds $110 of the currency to the individual’s Stanford account.
Some dining halls have also extended their hours this year to better cater to students’ schedules. Florence Moore Dining now offers “continuous service” between meals Monday through Thursday. Ricker Dining offers meals all week.
Dorian Lumarque ’19 believes that Market at Munger meal dollars were a strong incentive to choose a meal plan with fewer dining hall passes per week. While Lumarque had plenty of praise for other recent changes in Stanford dining — renovations at Lakeside Dining, for example — he said he is “really sad” that his extra meal credit no longer works at Munger.
“I liked going there to get snacks for a class or for parties,” Lumarque said. “[Otherwise] you have to go off campus to a supermarket, and that convenience is gone now.”
Contact Hannah Knowles at hknowles ‘at’ stanford.edu.