Students question Late Meal pricing

“It’s definitely a little depressing,” he said. “It puts a damper on my day, but it’s not the end of the world.”

Stu Orefice, the director of Princeton Dining Services, said in an email that late meal exists for students who “may be unable to dine during regular dining hall hours.” Late-meal items may be purchased using meal plans, with each one counting as a meal swipe. However, while Dining Services allows late lunches amounting up to $5.95 and late dinners amounting up to $6.95 to be credited against student meal plans, students must pay the difference on meals exceeding these limits. According to Orefice, these limits “reflect the cost of the food, the costs associated with the meals that are not consumed in the residential colleges and savings from a reduction of the number of meals that are not consumed in the colleges.”

University Spokesperson Martin Mbugua said in an email that the $5.95 and $6.95 allowance cutoffs are solely based on “the cost of the food that would otherwise have been taken during regular hours” and does not include the “additional operating costs” of maintaining the Food Gallery. He also noted that late meal is an option that “is unique to Princeton” and said that it “has become very popular because of the convenience it offers our students.”

However, some students said that the $5.95 and $6.95 cutoffs pose problems for them and felt disadvantaged by their class schedules. Elisabeth Ussery ’15 said that it is impossible to get a salad and a packaged drink without paying for the overage charges out of pocket.

For students like Ussery, late meal is a numbers game in which they must carefully calculate their purchases in order to not run over the cutoff. Michelangelo Ball Van Zee ’14 acknowledged in an interview that it is possible to get a sufficient meal, but only if one “orders wisely.” Matt Strauser ’14 offered a different perspective, saying that it is “definitely harder” to get a solid meal at lunch than at dinner.

A large part of the problem, according to some students, comes from what they consider the overpricing of packaged items. Many packaged items in the Frist Food Gallery are significantly more expensive than they would be at market prices. For instance, individually packaged cereal bowls, which are $2.25 at Frist, are sold regularly for $1 at CVS.

However, Mbugua explained, “it is important to note that it would not be realistic to compare the prices of similar items on campus and at a convenience store without factoring in the respective operating costs.” According to Orefice, prices set for these items are determined by the costs incurred by Dining Services to acquire them and by the prices within the current market.

Orefice did not comment on the specific price differences and the markups found at late meal. Associate Dean Maria Flores-Mills, who works closely with dining and facilities, also did not comment on price differences.

While Strauser took issue with the pricing of packaged items, he said that he feels the prices of anything unpackaged, such as grilled items or Orange Plate Specials, are “fair.”

The Orange Plate Special is a meal package offered daily for students who would like to purchase a full meal during late meal. Each food stand offers a plate of food, with a choice of two among cookies, crudites cups, fruit or a 16 oz. drink for $5.95 at late lunch and $6.95 at late dinner.

Orefice said that Dining Services recognized that “purchasing a la carte may exceed the limits,” and added that “packages [like Orange Plate specials] became the best way to increase the value within the limits.”

Mbugua noted that buying the package deal provides “significant savings” when compared with a la carte meals.

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For instance, at late lunch a student could purchase two plain Neapolitan pizza slices, a small takeout salad and a 16 oz. fountain beverage without paying an additional charge. The total charge without the package system would be $10.35, and so the system saves students $4.40 in this case.

Chris McIlwaine ’15 said that he did not mind paying the higher prices and added that the convenience late meal provides outweighs the additional costs, especially because it is included in the prepaid meal plans.

For Paula Pacheco ’15, who regularly picks up just packaged items for snacks instead of replacing regular meals with late meal, the set budget for meals is “an appropriate price range.” The nuisance, she added, doesn’t come from the price, but the two-package limit placed on each late meal.

“I understand why it’s that way — the University doesn’t want to give away a lot of free stuff,” Ball Van Zee said of the two-package limit. “They know people take advantage of it when they don’t even need it.” He did add, though, that students with an unlimited meal plan should be able to get unlimited items from late meal.

Tanyaradzwa Tawengwa ’14 said that the price and package limits were understandable because the University would like to direct more students to the dining halls, which are better equipped to handle large numbers of students, instead of overcrowding the Frist Gallery every day.

“Everyone knows the food at late meal is better than [that offered by] the dining hall anyway,” she said.