Between classes, U students get a break to study, catch up with friends, and grab a bite to eat. With busy schedules and tight budgets, many get creative when trying to satisfy their taste buds.
Marissa Izarraraz, a cashier at the Handcrafted Patisserie bakery in the Union, says most of their customers come in the morning after commuting to campus. The bakery offers a range of baked goods, their specialty coffee, muffins, and croissants are the most popular items for morning students. After 3 p.m. the bakery slows down. Later on, evening commuters stop by the bakery to grab a sandwich on the way to night classes.
Other commuters pack lunches and snacks to avoid shelling out cash for expensive campus dining.
Samatha Enda, a junior in civil engineering, does not eat a whole lunch on campus. Sometimes she picks up a burger, pizza, or a donut at one of the food courts, but generally she relies on snacks from home.
“I try to pack [a] quick snacks such as veggie sticks so that I won’t be as hungry for a meal. This helps me not spend as much money, since I am not looking to eat a lot of food while on campus,” Enda says.
She also brings a water bottle to help her stay hydrated and full while on campus.
Pratigya Basnet, a freshman in social science, has class in the morning and either eats food from campus or brings food from home. He eats a lot of rice, chicken curry, and yogurt. He likes organic food and usually makes his meals from scratch because it is healthier and less expensive.
Anuska Shakya, a freshman in health, society and policy, also likes curry and often brings Nepali rice dishes from home.
“I enjoy making healthy curry dishes because they have less fat, oil, and I know what ingredients I am putting in them,” Shakya says.
These students, like many, tend to get tired of the same food courts, unhealthy fast food and the expensive restaurants on or near campus. Although there are a number of places to go eat, a majority of U students would like to see more organic food places on campus that resemble Whole Foods or Trader Joes without having to spend their whole paycheck just to stay full, energized and alert for school.
“In order to save money and stay full, I try to eat sandwiches I make from home or Clif and other energy bars. My budget is to spend less than $10 a day on food,” says graduate student Eric Herzog.
Herzog would like to see more cafés at the U because he says the food is usually healthier than what is being served in the food court.
James Holt, a junior in civil engineering, also snacks on Clif bars and salads he brings from home. He suggests a salad and soup bar like Zupas would be great to have on campus.
“I usually bring a healthy meal that consists of chicken and vegetables for lunch and trail mix to snack on throughout the day,” says Erika Garcia, a senior in business management. Garcia likes to have food she makes from home because it is healthy and cheap. However, as the weather cools, she likes to duck into cafés on campus for a warm drink.
Many students are concerned about the costs of on campus dining, but Marco Velasquez, director of retail operations for Chartwells, says the prices are normal for university campuses.
He says the prices are figured in a “market basket” and compared with food prices at other universities in Utah and restaurants near campus.
Mackenzie McMillen, a freshman in health, society and policy, tries to spend no more than $20 a week on campus food. She also drinks lots of water and brings trail mix, granola, and a banana to snack on so she avoids spending a lot of money. She packs salads or turkey sandwiches for lunch. If she doesn’t bring a lunch, she heads to a food court, but she tries to watch her spending.