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George Washington University
- Campus Dining

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George Washington University - Campus Dining - College ProwlerCollege Prowler3.46

Campus Dining

B
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Quick Stats

Average Meal Plan Cost $3400 per year
Freshman Meal Plan Required? Yes
Student Favorites
  • GW Deli
  • Johnny Rockets
  • Lindy’s
  • Pita Pit
  • Potbelly’s
  • Subway
  • Wendy’s

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

While some universities work on a meals-per-week plan, GW’s system is a little different and much more convenient. At the beginning of the semester, freshmen and sophomores must purchase a meal plan, which works as a declining debit card. Freshmen are required to use a $1,700 a semester plan. This plan includes a $1,000 credit to spend at any on- or off-campus venue that accepts the GW Colonial Cash meal plan. There is then $700 mandatory dining dollars—more commonly referred to as J Street money—to be spent in a few specific dining venues, primarily the J Street food court in the student center. Non-food items can be purchased with the $1,000 of Colonial Cash at participating stores like the GW Bookstore and CVS. Any extra mandatory dining dollars are carried over from the fall semester to the spring semester, but not from the spring to fall. Remaining money from the $1,000 can be carried over to the following year.

Although students like the convenience of GW’s non-mandatory part of the meal plan—no one tells them what to eat or when to eat it—what gets the most protests from students is the fact that they are required to spend $700 per semester in a food court that they get sick of very quickly. The University is frequently attempting to address the problem, adding in new options and offering more variety. J Street, the large food court in the Marvin Center, offers Chinese, pizza, pasta, burritos, Chick-fil-A, Wendy’s, and more. For students who quickly tire of these greasy fast food restaurants, the food court offers a sandwich bar, limited juices, grocery items. There is also J Street Café, a pay-by-the-pound dining venue with rotating hot entrées, a salad bar, fresh fruit, and a few kosher options. Perhaps because of the variety offered, students usually complain about the quality of the food as well as the price, even though the Colonial Cash exempts students from DC’s 10 percent sales tax at on-campus locations. The ease and convenience of GW’s meal plan is a perk that many transfer students coming from a university with a single cafeteria enjoy, even if most GW students gripe about the lack of variety, healthy options, and price.
 

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George Washington Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Campus Dining at George Washington University

NMDC

'14

Economics

3.1
B-

It Could Be Better

Even though it is pretty fancy, the new J-Street does not let students make decisions for themselves. Yeah, I know that Wendy's and maybe Chick-fil-A are (were) not the healthiest food on campus, but they were cheap and fast to get, and that came in handy for a lot of students. Now, though, we have a bunch of fancy green places to choose from, but they are still overpriced and, despite a variety of names, they all offer the same.

Dec 19, 2011

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Campus Dining at George Washington University

rockmysock333

'12

International Studies

4.2
A-

They're Trying...

J Street will never be perfect but it has been improving over time. The other on-campus dining options are great, and now that whole foods is on campus and takes GWorld the options are even better. All sophomore-senior housing has kitchens, so if you do get sick of the dining options you can always cook. Also food trucks come through campus usually around lunch time, so there's something new right here, for when you're just tired of sandwiches. If they took GWorld it would be great!!

Dec 12, 2011

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Campus Dining at George Washington University

hopeboat

'14

Interior Design

3.1
B-

Alright but Expensive

food options are set up more like actual restaurants or cooking for yourself than a dining hall. but i guess thats what real life is like too

Oct 24, 2011

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Page 1 of 7

Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?

Rate campus dining on the following topics

Facts

24-Hour Dining The 7-Eleven in the Mitchell Hall basement. Most residence halls have vending machines in the lobby or basement.
Off-Campus Places to Use Flex Money There are tons of places you can use your Colonial Cash, a required declining balance program. For a complete list of retail partners, visit gwired.gwu.edu/gwdining/retailpartners.html.
Special Options One of GW’s greatest traditions lies in a small cart parked near the Marvin Center on weekend nights. Manouch, a hot dog vendor, sells his delicious franks and hot pretzels late into the night after most other dining venues are closed. There’s nothing like a Manouch hot dog to satisfy the late-night munchies of after an evening of partying. During the day, there are also a few snack carts near the Gelman Library and a vendor near Kogan Plaza who sells coffee, cappuccino, and pastries. Students must pay cash at most vendors.
Did You Know?

GW does not operate on a “meals per week” system like most universities. With the Colonial Cash dining plan, students can eat at participating on- and off-campus dining venues and restaurants using a declining balance system, meaning students are allocated a certain amount of money at the beginning of the year that can for the most part be spent wherever they want, whenever they want. However, some of this money, the “mandatory dining dollars” can only be spent at select locations, primarily the J Street food court area in the student center, the Marvin Center.

Many off-campus stores and restaurants accept money from the Colonial Cash plan, including barber shops, clothing stores, Chipotle, CVS, and the Safeway grocery store, to name a few.

Because most of the venues that take the mandatory dining dollars are closed on weekends, the University offers themed Sunday Night Dinners every Sunday at the J Street Café that allow students to use their mandatory dining dollars on weekends.

 

Dining Halls & Campus RestaurantsWhat's This?

2000 Penn
Location: 2000 Pennsylvania Ave.
Food: Au Bon Pan, Bertucci’s, The Burro, F Street Bistro, Johnny Rockets, Vaccaro’s Italian Pastry Shop, Wasabi to Go
Hours: Varies by location

5th Ave Bagels & Deli
Location: J Street
Food: Bagels, kosher, sandwiches
Hours: Monday–Thursday 7 a.m.–7 p.m., Friday 7 a.m.–2:30 p.m.

7-Eleven
Location: Mitchell Hall
Food: Convenience store
Hours: Daily 24 hours

Ames Dining Hall
Location: Mount Vernon Campus
Food: Entrées, fruit, salads sandwiches, snacks
Hours: Sunday–Thursday 9 a.m.–9 p.m., Friday–Saturday 9 a.m.–8 p.m.

Campus Fresh
Location: Lerner Health and Wellness Center
Food: Frozen yogurts, smoothies, sports bars and drinks, wraps
Hours: Monday–Thursday 11 a.m.–10 p.m., Friday 11 a.m.–9 p.m., Saturday 11 a.m.–7 p.m., Sunday 12 p.m.–8 p.m.

Carvings
Location: Potomac House
Food: Breakfast items, burgers, sandwiches

Chick-fil-A
Location: J Street
Food: Chicken sandwiches, salads
Hours: Monday–Thursday 11 a.m.–9 p.m., Friday 11 a.m.–4 p.m.

Freshens
Location: J Street
Food: Frozen yogurt, smoothies
Hours: Monday–Thursday 8 a.m.–7 p.m., Friday 8 a.m.–2:30 p.m.

G-Dub Java
Location: Duques Hall
Food: Coffee, pastries, salads, sandwiches, sushi
Hours: Monday–Thursday 8 a.m.–7 p.m., Friday 8 a.m.–2 p.m.

G-Dub Java
Location: Mount Vernon Campus
Food: Coffee
Hours: Monday–Friday 7 a.m.–2 p.m.

GW Deli
Location: 22nd and G Streets
Food: Sandwiches, snacks

GWU Hospital Cafeteria
Location: GWU Hospital
Food: Variety of breakfast, lunch, and dinner meals

Ivory Tower Dining
Location: 616 23rd St., NW
Food: Dunkin Donuts, Gallery Cafe, Gallery Market, Pita Pit, Potbelly Sandwich Works
Hours: Varies

J Street Café
Location: J Street
Food: Entrées, fruit, salad, soup, vegan
Hours: Monday–Thursday 11 a.m.–9 p.m., Friday 11 a.m.–4 p.m., Sunday 5:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m.

Lindy’s Red Lion
Location: 2040 I St. NW
Food: Burgers
Hours: Monday–Thursday 10:30 a.m.–1:30 a.m., Friday–Saturday 10:30 a.m.–2:30 a.m.

Little Italy
Location: J Street
Food: Italian, pizza
Hours: Monday–Thursday 8 a.m.–9 p.m., Friday 8 a.m.–4 p.m.

Pizza Italia
Location: In the World Bank building across from Thurston Hall
Food: Pizza

Smart Market
Location: J Street
Food: Fruit, pastries, salads, snacks
Hours: Monday–Thursday 8 a.m.–9 p.m., Friday 8 a.m.–4 p.m.

Stax
Location: J Street
Food: Sandwiches
Hours: Monday–Thursday 11 a.m.–9 p.m., Friday 11 a.m.–4 p.m.

Subway
Location: 1959 E St.
Food: Subs
Hours: Daily 10 a.m.–9 p.m.

Tonic Restaurant at Quigley’s Pharmacy
Location: G and 21st Streets
Food: Burgers, dinner entrées
Hours: Monday–Friday 11 a.m.–4 p.m., 5 p.m.–11 p.m.; Saturday–Sunday 10 a.m.–3 p.m., 5 p.m.–11 p.m.

Uptowner Cafe
Location: Lisner Hall
Food: Burgers, sandwiches
Hours: Monday–Friday 8 a.m.–8 p.m.

Wendy’s
Location: J Street
Food: Fast food
Hours: Monday–Friday 10:30 a.m.–11 p.m.

WOW Café and Wingery
Location: Marvin Center, 5th floor
Food: Burgers, salads, wings
Hours: Daily 11 a.m.–12 a.m.

Yaya’s Asian Kitchen
Location: J Street
Food: Pan Asian
Hours: Monday–Thursday 11 a.m.–9 p.m., Friday 11 a.m.–4 p.m.

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Most Recent Student Author

College Prowler guides are in the hands of students throughout the entire process. Because you can't make student-written guides without the students, we have students at each campus who write, edit, and survey their peers for every guide that we publish. Thanks to our most recent student author at GW

Name: David Glidden

Hometown: Fuquay-Varina, NC

Major: International Affairs (Spanish minor)

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