On its surface, the new State Street Meal Plan seems ideal-instead of eating dorm food, parents put money on a debit card that is accepted at select restaurants on State Street. The plan sounds deliciously simple but as the old adage goes, things are not always what they seem.
Off Campus Access, Inc., the proprietor of the meal plan, is a three-year-old company based in Virginia. According to Mike Dolezal, regional director of Off Campus Access, Inc., the meal plan was created to give students more meal options and discounts, yet still give parents the chance to pay. The University of Illinois, University of Kansas, University of Missouri and numerous other schools across the country host a similar meal plan provided by Off Campus Access and currently 400,000 students participate nationwide.
Last fall, Off Campus Access surveyed hundreds of UW-Madison students.
\We asked students if there was a meal plan like this, would they want it?"" Dolezal said.
And students did. ""Madison has a great group of restaurants on State Street,"" said Dolezal. ""It's a great college town, it's a perfect fit for the meal plan.""
So far, 19 restaurants make up the State Street Meal Plan's roster. The Sunroom Caf??, Tutto Pasta, Pizza Di Roma and Jamba Juice are included, as well as some off-State St. eateries such as Curry N' Hurry, the Kollege Klub and Amy's Caf??. Students can even use the card for delivery orders from restaurants such as Pizza Hut.
Dolezal asserts that one of the main goals of the meal plan is to constantly add more restaurants and give students as many options as possible. Students are encouraged to e-mail or call State Street Meal Plan associates to suggest restaurants to add to the plan.
The plan also offers ""exclusive discounts"" to card holders and special deals at the ""restaurant of the week."" These deals, though, have not yet begun in Madison, nor are they disclosed on the company's Web site, http://www.statestmealplan.com.
The issue of saving money is where things begin to get shifty. The State Street Meal Plan bases its money-saving numbers on the ""Missed Meal Factor""-the national average of meals skipped in dining halls, which amounts to 33 percent. The plan's Web site shows one meal plan at Madison that costs $1050 per semester, or 215 meals. If a student skips 33 percent of those, or 63 meals, a parent loses $285.
Conversely, University Housing Food Service is unique in the fact that students are not required to buy a set number of meals in advance. With a University Housing Choice Account or Campus Cash, the two ways to purchase on-campus meals with a WisCard debit card, parents simply put money into the account and students can eat as many meals as they wish. Students with a Choice Account receive all food at a discounted rate because dorm residents have paid some overhead costs of food service in their boarding costs.
The State Street Meal Plan also prides itself on rollover-whatever a student does not spend one semester carries over onto the next. If a student wishes to close their account, they are refunded the money that remains in their account. But University Food Service also has rollover, and if a student wants to terminate an account, any amount over $2 that remains is refunded to the student.
In addition, The State Street Meal Plan stresses that with the plan, parents can be assured that that their ""student has money to eat healthy food."" This is a bit inconsistent, considering that many of the restaurants on the plan are fast or fried-food eateries, nor are most of these eateries open early enough, or at all, for breakfast. And how healthy can a student be if he or she eats only 12 meals per week, which is what the plan suggests that parents of an off-campus student should budget for?
There is still another flaw in the State Street Meal Plan. Some of the restaurants on the plan serve alcohol, such as State Street Brats and Stillwater's. This means that with a swipe of the debit card, alcohol can be purchased at a parent's expense.
UW-Madison junior Laura Brackmann has the meal plan, and does not think this will become a problem.
""I'm not going to go to [State Street] Brats at night and whip out my meal plan card. That's not why Mom got it for me,"" Brackmann said.
Dolezal dodged the issue; ""We are giving parents and students a meal plan. It is for students to eat.""
Upon request, parents can see a list of how much their child is spending at each restaurant, but they can not see which foods (or drinks) they are buying.
So is the State Street Meal Plan the ultimate way to eat well and save money? Dolezal claims that on average, a parent's first deposit is around $600. Six-hundred dollars for bar food and booze? This plan may have to go back to the drawing board.
