frequently asked questions
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How can I change my meal plan? From January 1 - January 31, you can change your meal plan online or at the cashier's office located at 2610 Channing Way, 2nd floor. ^ Top How can I add more points? It's easy for meal plan customers to add more points at any time throughout the semester online or by stopping into the Cashier's office at 2610 Channing Way 2nd floor. The cost is $50 for 55 points. All points added during the Fall Semester will rollover to the Spring semester. ^ Top Will my points rollover to the Spring semester? Only up to 100 points from the Fall semester will rollover to the Spring semester. However, all add-on points will rollover to the Spring semester. All points unused by the last day of Spring semester will be forfeited. ^ Top What meal plan do I choose if I live in campus apartments like Channing-Bowditch or Wada? All UC housing apartments [Ida Jackson, Manville, Channing Bowditch and Wada] do not require residents to purchase a meal plan because some kitchen space is provided. However, residents of these apartments can choose from the non-resident meal plans. Some students enjoy having a meal plan for dining hall meals, on-campus meals, and the weekly produce stands. ^ Top What is a "to go" meal? All four residence hall dining locations offers customers a to-go meal option. Students turn in their ID for a biodegradable to-go box and a hot/cold beverage container. Students will be allowed to fill their containers until they close then return to the cashier station to get their ID card. To-go meals cost an additional 50 cents. This charge will help to ensure we can continue using bio-mass packaging and maintain our composting program. ^ Top What happens if I have a Cal 1 Card debit account and a meal plan? Will the register know which plan to take funds from? Yes, the register systems in all fifteen Cal Dining locations will automatically draw from the meal plan account. If there are no points, then the registers will automatically deduct from the Cal 1 Card debit account if a student has one of those accounts. ^ Top Can I use the points from the spring semester [the second half of my allotted points] during the fall semester if I run out? No. Fifty percent of the points are added in the fall and the other half is added at the beginning of the spring semester. You can add on more points at any time within the semester if you run out of points. ^ Top When can I start using my meal plan? Meal plans will begin on Saturday, August 21 in Fall 2010. Visit the move-in web site for family meals during move-in weekend. ^ Top Can I use my points during the breaks? Cal Dining holiday hours will be posted in all units and online before the break period, but generally the meal plan points can not be used when the resident halls are closed. The meal plans points will not be available for Winter break. Points can be used during Spring Break in any open campus restaurant, although the residence dining halls will be closed. ^ Top Does Cal Dining provide balanced meal options? Cal Dining's residence hall dining commons and campus restaurants offer a wide variety of options no matter how you like to eat. From salads and fresh fruits and vegetables to pizza and garlic fries, each unit creates menus based on student feedback and nutritional soundness. While our menus are diverse, it is up to our customers to choose wisely. We expect college students to use common sense and know that eating fried foods at every meal is not a good fit for a balanced diet. ^ Top How can I find out nutrition information? Nutrition information is available online and in a booklet in each of our residence dining commons. Nutritional analysis for retail items without a nutrition label that is not listed online can be requested by e-mailing dining@berkeley.edu. We also offer nutrition counseling and an online food planner so students can keep track of their daily nutrition information! Click here for more info. ^ Top Who do I talk to if I have dietary or nutritional questions or concerns? In addition to our staff nutrition counselor and regular questions our general managers and chefs can assist with, residential students also can talk to the Tang Center student health workers located in each residence hall. All students can also visit the campus Tang Center for health and wellness information. Our staff, the Tang student health workers and the Tang Center staff are all good resources for guiding students through dietary issues. Click here for more info. ^ Top How do you handle allergies? We know that food allergies are a serious concern and we treat them as a top priority. Students with allergies should make an appointment with us as soon as they get to campus by e-mailing dining@berkeley.edu to set up a meeting with our unit general manager, chef and/or staff nutrition counselors. Our staff will review our menus and ingredients and direct students' to items that will ensure their safety while dining in our facilities. Click here for more info. ^ Top Do you have vegan/vegetarian options? Each dining location offers vegan and vegetarian options. Items are indicated by specific symbols in each dining commons menu so items are easily recognizable. In most cases there is a separate food station created specifically for vegans and vegetarians. Click here for more info. ^ Top Do you offer Kosher options? Golden Bear Café [GBC], Bear Market, and Crossroads Dining Hall offers packaged Kosher items, but Cal Dining does not operate a Kosher certified dining hall. For more info, visit our Kosher dining page. ^ Top Do the meal plans provide all the meals for the year? Our meal plans are designed to provide a foundation of student's food, beverages and snacks while here at Cal. Depending on a student's eating habits, our plans will provide 50 to 75 percent of their total dining expenses. We know students will choose to eat off campus and will want to enjoy the great culinary delights of Berkeley and the Bay area and our meal plans allow them to do that without losing value. Visit the Financial Aid page for a budget. ^ Top What can I get for my points in a typical week? The number of points used will be decided entirely by how the customer chooses to spend his or her points. On average, the Standard plan provides about 12-14 meals per week and the Premium plan provides 16 - 20 meals. Click here to view our points budgeting chart. ^ Top Where can I use my meal plan points? You can use your points at any of the 16 facilities Cal Dining operates: our four residential dining locations [Crossroads, Clark Kerr, Café 3, and Foothill], seven campus restaurants [Golden Bear Café, Terrace, Ramona's, Pat Brown's, Common Grounds, Qualcomm Café, The Pro Shop, and the View Café] and four residential retail units [The Den/Peet's, Cub Market, CKCub and Bear Market]. Meal points are also accepted at Haas Pavilion, California Memorial Stadium and select Cal Athletics venues. ^ Top Will I lose my points if I don't use them? The allotted meal plan points for each semester will be added at the beginning of each semester. Up to 100 unused meal plan points left over from the fall semester will rollover to the spring semester; the rest will be forfeited. Should you cancel your non-resident meal plan, points will not rollover. Points not used by the end of the academic year in the spring semester will NOT roll over and will be forfeitted. ^ Top Who can buy the non-resident meal plans? Any University of California Berkeley student can purchase the non-resident meal plans. You can apply online or by stopping in the Cashier's Office. ^ Top How and when can I purchase a non-resident meal plan? Beginning July 28, you can purchase non-resident meal plans online or by stopping in the Cashier's Office at 2610 Channing Way. Meal plans begin on August 21, 2010. ^ Top Can I pay for guests with these meal plans? Yes, the points added each semester are under complete control of the meal plan holder to use at his or her discretion at any of our fifteen locations. ^ Top How can I add more points? It's easy for meal plan customers to add more points at any time throughout the semester online or by stopping into the Cashier's office at 2610 Channing Way 2nd floor. The cost is $50 for 55 points. ^ Top Why can't I use my points at other on-campus locations not run by Cal Dining? Cal Dining is a self-supporting entity on campus that operates ten locations. We do not receive student fee dollars and completely support the operating costs of our facilities with the meal plan and retail dollars we receive. We couldn’t cover our operating costs if we allowed non-Cal Dining restaurants to receive the funds we use to pay for our buildings, food, and staff. ^ Top Will I get bored? Our meal plans allow students the most flexibility and freedom to choose how, where and when they want to eat in our locations. Our unit chefs create seasonal menus specifically designed for the students at their unit to offer the most variety and we plan great special events every week to mix things up a little. These special events might be small, like banana split night, or large, such as Lunar New Year, where each dining commons hosts a unique Asian menu for a week. ^ Top What is the actual cost of the meal plan for residential students? Residential students pay one room and board rate and meal plans are not optional. While non-residential students do have a plan with the same amount of points, those students do not pay for some of the benefits that residential students receive that are included in the cost of living on campus, such as high-speed internet access, residential staff (such as RAs and ADs) and Academic Centers. ^ Top If I don't live in a residence hall, do I need to buy a meal plan? Many students enjoy not having to deal with cooking food or thinking about their meals throughout the year. If that sounds like you, then the meal plans are a great buy. Our weekly produce stand and Bear Market, featuring grocery style retail items, give students a way to purchase items to create their own meals. Meal plan students receive not only less expensive pricing at the dining commons, but also receive a discount on their point value in the retail locations. ^ Top How does the Cal 1 Card work with Cal Dining? Your Cal 1 Card serves as your permanent identification while you are at Cal and also "holds" your meal plan information magnetically. The Cal 1 Card also has a convenient Debit Account option that allows you to have a declining balance account to use at all Cal Dining locations, residence hall laundry, campus vending machines, at Cal's student bookstore, and several off-campus retail locations. Although Cal Dining doesn't operate the Cal 1 Card, we work closely with them so you can get the most usability for this great convenience. ^ Top How do you determine retail pricing? As stated in an earlier answer, Cal Dining is a self-supporting entity on campus that does not receive student fee dollars and completely supports the operating costs of our facilities with the meal plan and retail dollars we receive. We base our pricing on actual product cost, facility expenses [like electricity and equipment] and labor costs. We pay our employees a living wage and full benefits. Cal Dining has about 1/10 of the buying power of a single grocery store. ^ Top What else does Dining operate on campus? Cal Dining is the not the exclusive provider of food on campus. We operate 16 food locations on campus, in addition to concessions at Cal Athletics sporting venues. Our primary customers are our residential students and the core of our operation is residential dining. ^ Top Do you have meal plans for faculty and staff? Can I buy a Fall only meal plan ? |
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purchase a meal plan ? • buy a Cal Care Pack ?
check your points balance ? • arrange visitor meal vouchers ?
