By SARA BERGQUIST

sbe007@latech.edu  

 

 Tech students, low on “dough” are finding cheaper ways to eat on campus.

Kristen Schlessman, a senior English major, found a way to save money and eat a home-cooked meal while at Tech.

“I eat at the Wesley [Foundation] on Thursdays because it’s only a dollar,” Schlessman said. “The meals are cooked by ladies from different churches, and they range from spaghetti to tacos.”

Schlessman thinks Montague’s Deli, located in the Student Center, is the best solution for a cheap place to eat if the $1 lunch that can be provided by nearby church groups is not an option.

“I pay with cash because I can’t keep up with my [Tech Express],” Schlessman said.

Ronny Aranaga, a sophomore chemical engineering major, finds the better deal at Burger King in the Student Center.

“I look for the cheapest and fastest place to eat,” Aranaga said. “I tend to just use cash [instead of Tech Express] because I live off-campus.”

Most students living off-campus are searching for quick and cheap solutions, and many find them with the healthy alternative of fruits and vegetables.

However, Johnathon Jones, a mechanical engineering major, said he uses his Tech Express to purchase healthy snacks from Bytes, the convenience store in Tolliver Hall.

“I usually buy some granola bars and a bottle of water with my Tech Express,” he said.

Jones said he has the ultimate idea to save money.

“The cheapest thing to do is get a loaf of bread and some peanut butter and jelly,” Jones said. “I’m going to bring lunch boxes back into style.”

Students also find cheap solutions to dining on campus by eating in the cafeteria.

Kaitlyn Jennings, a sophomore mechanical engineering major, said “The cafeteria is the cheapest place to eat because none of it is coming out of my pocket; it’s already paid for.”

Mike Michelle, the director of food services, said the cafeteria is the best value for students on a meal plan.

“What a lot of people don’t realize is that when they see the walk-in rate, it’s not near that much with a meal plan,” Michelle said.

Michelle said the 15-meal plan, which comes with $165 in declining balance, costs $655. The actual price is $2.72 for an all-you-can-eat meal.   

Michelle said students know they are going to get what they pay for.

“One of our biggest responses we get from our surveys we do twice a year is more value,” Michelle said. “On a college campus, even though our costs are lower than the outside market, students expect more value than what is on the outside, and I think as we offer more quality products the students move toward that.”

Although the cafeteria is the better value, Michelle said, students spend the most declining balance and Tech Express at Chick-Fil-A and Java City.

“People know [Chick-Fil-A], and it’s a good product,” Michelle said.

Tech Express can be used by students to buy anything from books to coffee.

“The advantage with Tech Express is that you aren’t carrying money around,” Michelle said.

Michelle also said he and his staff are constantly trying to add things, last year Tech’s cafeteria provided stir fry; this quarter, omelets were made available; and as soon as the freezer, which was donated by the Student Government Association arrives, the cafeteria will offer hand-dipped ice cream from the Tech Dairy.