Starting this semester, guest meal swipes are included in meal plans. One meal per week can be used for a guest with the all-access, 14-meals-per-week and nine-meals-per-week plans. 10 swipes can be used as guest meals with the 120-block plan.
Instead of needing to use dining dollars or cash for a guest to eat at the Geisert and Williams dining halls, a swipe can pay for their meal.
Guest swipes are not extra meals for the plan holder. They are included in the weekly or block allotment. If a guest swipe is not used, then it goes back to the student.
Freshman Robyn Batsell said she is excited to use guest swipes for family members.
“My family lives three and a half hours away, so when they visit we will eat lunch or dinner together to utilize the guest swipes without cutting into my Chick-fil-a budget,” Batsell said.
Gayle Hanson, the food service director for dining services explained how the guest meal plan started.
“In late fall 2017, the student government went to the vice president of student affairs, [Nathan Thomas], about food sensitivity issues,” Hanson said.
Gary Anna, retired executive senior vice president for business affairs, and Pratima Gandhi, the chief financial officer for Bradley, worked with Hanson and Thomas to create a plan that could fix the issues. The incorporation of guest swipes in the meal plans was proposed.
According to Hanson, the plan for the guest meals was finalized over the summer.
Justice Chow, a senior resident adviser (RA) in Geisert hall, has the 120-block plan.
“This new plan seems more convenient since it’s difficult for me to use all of my dining swipes and I can utilize more swipes in this way,” she said. “It seems less wasteful with my plan.”
“Personally, I would probably use it at the end of the semester when I have friends that had run out of dining swipes and they need to get a meal,” Chow said.
Resident advisers had a presentation explaining how the swipes will work and on how to best take advantage of this plan.
According to Hanson, dining services is trying to market the new addition in Geisert and Williams.
Students can look for flyers in the residence halls or ask their RAs for more information on this new plan.
