Evaluating Meal Plan Costs

5Cene, Life by Josh Siegel — August 13, 2009 at 10:51 am | 11 comments | | Print

I finally have the option of leaving the meal plan. Since I got to CMC, I’ve been on the 12 meals per week plan and it’s been a great time. The biggest downside is that if I leave the meal plan, I might have to cook. Sure, most of the time I’m probably going to buy pre-made meals from Trader Joe’s, go to Chipotle, or pretend to be Isayas to get into the dining halls for free, but that won’t always work. I’ll also get to see more of the beautiful Inland Empire, go to the Athenaeum for free food and free wine, eat my apartment mates’ food, and grill steak and shrimp on our patio. Doesn’t sound so bad.

But here’s the math just in case…

On the meal plan, you can choose from the 16, 12, or 8 meals per week options. The prices have risen ~4-5% per year in recent years, and in 2009-2010 the pricing schedule is as follows:

16 meal plan = $6055
12 meal plan = $5560
8 meal plan = $5185

Each plan comes with a little “flex money” that you can use at the school store on candy, snacks, soda, toothpaste, etc. Let’s count that as cash back because many students use it on stuff they would have otherwise spent cash on.

So we’ll subtract flex money:

16 = $6055 – 160 = 5895
12 = $5560 – 120 = 5440
8 = $5185 – 80 = 5105

Based on these amounts and a 16 week semester, if you use all your meals (that’s a big “if”), each meal would cost:

16 meal plan = $5895 / 16 meals / 32 weeks = $11.51 per meal
12 meal plan = $5440 / 12 meals / 32 weeks = $14.17 per meal
8 meal plan = $5105 / 8 meals / 32 weeks = $19.94 per meal

Keep in mind that nobody actually uses 16 meals a week except Sean Wasserman, the CMS Water Polo starting goalie, because he is “The Body.” In fact, rumor has it that the dining hall discovered that almost nobody uses all 16 meals (those under that plan use 14 on average), which is why the price difference between the 16 and 12 plans is so low.

collins meal plan costs

Alternatively, there’s the option to pay per meal as an outsider every time you go to the dining hall. Those prices are:

Breakfast: $7.50
Lunch: $10.50
Dinner: $13.50

Bottom Line: It’s cheaper to just pay in cash (a la carte) every time you go to the dining halls than to get the 8 meal plan, 12 meal plan, or in some cases, any meal plan.

Josh Siegel

In late 2007, Josh started the website CMCForum.com. It has since grown into this fine publication today. He is a senior at CMC and is not looking forward to graduating, after which he will move back to NYC and take over.

11 Comments

so right
2009-08-13
11:42:49
We just received the bill this year and my family and I were going over it and after doing the math, the meal plan is ridiculous. I love the 5C dining halls but for $12 for meal (on the 16) I'd be happier eating at Walters.
Tom
2009-08-13
11:46:08
great work, siegz. i also liked the commons video. too bad cmc is too aesthetically unappealing to make an "i love collins" which, incidentally, is an even better pun. if you try and steal my grilled food i will come after you with The Claw!
actually...
2009-08-13
13:10:20
you can't buy toothpaste with your flex money. only food.
This Is Crazy
2009-08-13
17:44:53
Can somebody other than Mr. Johnson email Dean Huang and figure out how this is justified and what we are getting for our money? At these prices they can't comp us takeout trays? Is there any way we can put economic pressure ('cause Pitzer style protests would go over so so so well) on Collins to lower prices?
- Charles C. Johnson
  2009-08-28
  11:02:45
  I've long thought a way to get Collins and the other dining halls to reduce costs would be to purchase your meal plans from each of the colleges, rather than de facto through the college you attend.
This is Crazy?
2009-08-13
18:02:54
Haha, really, you ^^^ are surprised by this? Have you ever looked at the bill that comes home to mommy and daddy? Collins is just one of many rackets being run at this school.
Josh Siegel
2009-08-13
19:25:53
The administration has to be aware of the situation and deals with vendors (like Bon Appetit for food services) to negotiate prices on our behalf all the time. A few years back we had a different vendor people didn't like so we switched to Bon Appetit. It might have taken food poisoning outbreaks but it worked: http://web.archive.org/web/20030525015631/www.cmcstudents.com/classic/aramark/facts.html

But I guess school-negotiated contracts have that employer-negotiated health insurance feeling of helplessness for the student. The market for dining hall catering services isn't quite as liquid as in-n-out prices.

That said, compare our food to that of other schools' and it stands up pretty well.
- Charles C. Johnson
  2009-08-14
  16:11:57
  As of last year, it came out to 9.51 per meal on the 16 meal plan at CMC. Pitzer's was only $5.38.
  http://www.claremontconservative.com/2009/07/now-that-they-have-banned-trays-at.html
CMC '09
2009-08-14
15:56:22
Just as an FYI, even if you truly love dining hall food, Collins is more expensive than other dining halls when it comes to guest prices. My apartment mates and I were off the meal plan and ate at Scripps most nights. $6 for lunch and $8 for dinner. If only I could go back there now...
Ching
2009-09-02
10:02:39
I heard that as boarding students in a dorm hall we are required to be on the meal plan unless we have a doctors note to prove otherwise? Is that true or can we just opt out of a meal plan altogether without 'reason'?
Charles C. Johnson
2009-09-02
10:05:23
Ching,

You can't opt out of the meal plan altogether without reason. You need a doctor's note.

I have heard of, but have never actually met, people who get out of the meal plan for religious dietary reasons.