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Oberlin College - Campus Dining - Student ReviewsCollege Prowler3.08
Comparable Schools'
Campus Dining Grades:
Quick StatsFreshman Meal Plan Required?
Yes - All students are required to live in College housing or an Oberlin Student Cooperative Association (OSCA) co-op, and to participate in one of the dining programs through graduation.
Average Meal Plan Cost
$4720 per year
Off-Campus Places to Use Flex MoneySpecial Options
- Although students don’t have a wide variety of dining options to choose from, they can use CDS Flex and Obie Dollars to buy food on and off campus. CDS Flex is a declining balance account built into the ID card, and may be used to purchase food from Decafé, or additional meals at any of the four CDS dining facilities. Obie Dollars are also available through a declining balance that students voluntarily purchase in advance and may use at select stores and restaurants off campus. For a special treat, Cookies on Call delivers freshly-baked cookies and cold milk late at night, when you are craving a study break, or an extra party snack. Students who live in the Third World House also have all the amenities to cook in their dorm.
Campus dining is never a treat exactly, but Oberlin does make a point of offering a wide selection of options for students with varying culinary preferences. All three dining halls, Dascomb, Stevenson, and Lord Saunders, include salad bars, fresh fruit, vegetarian, and fried-food options, as well as cereals and all the ingredients necessary for making sandwiches. Students often complain that the dining hall menus grow repetitive as the semester wears on, and that the food isn’t seasoned with much flavor or pizzazz. Still, for dining hall food, it could be much worse than it is. At least students have the option of drinking local, organic milk, and munching on hummus and pita bread if they don’t feel inclined towards the meat and potatoes baked in caramelized sugar. Aside from Campus Dining Services (CDS), Oberlin offers an excellent alternative for students who prefer to cook their own food, work communally, and eat healthier: the co-ops. Co-ops are run by the Oberlin Student Cooperative Association, and are entirely managed by students. It is cheaper to join a co-op than to eat at CDS, but co-ops do have their downsides. First, you must be prepared to eat at exactly the same time every day, or you run the risk of missing out on all the food. Also, students in co-ops must put a certain number of hours into cooking and cleaning in the co-op every week, so if your schedule is overly busy, CDS might be the more efficient route. In general, even though some students complain co-ops are messy and disorganized, they are a healthier, cheaper, and more self-sufficient means of eating.
Filter:
annschaefer Oberlin '13 Music Performance Jul 10, 2010  |
Great Food Always
A+
There are always vegetarian and vegan options. Ingredients are fresh. Lots of variety. |
ObeCH Oberlin Student
Mar 06, 2009 |
Most people don't talk nicely...
Most people don't talk nicely about the dining hall food, but it is alright in my opinion. Certain things they do really well, others not so much. For a small school, there seems to be a good selection of food at each meal--maybe not so great for vegans though. There is also a cafe/market on campus with very good and relatively cheap sandwiches, smoothies, and salads. If you want more homey meals, co-ops are good. Food can be on the simple side, but it is more like home than a cafeteria, and healthier as well. |
Obess Oberlin Student
Mar 04, 2009 |
The dining halls are consistently...
The dining halls are consistently mediocre and fast. On the other hand, OSCA (the co-ops) take five to six hours per week, but foster a great community and usually much better food.
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Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?
Rate campus dining on the following topics
Dining Halls & Campus RestaurantsWhat's This?
Coffee Kiosk
Food: Coffee, snacks
Location: Science center
Hours: Monday–Friday 7:30 AM–11 AM, 11:30 AM–1:30 PM
Dascomb Food Court
Food: Deli, grill, International, pizza, salad bar, dessert bar
Location: West College Street (inside Dascomb Hall)
Hours: Monday–Thursday 7:30 AM–2 PM, 5 PM–8 PM, 8:30 PM–11:30 PM; Friday 7:30 AM–2 PM, Sunday 5 PM–8 PM, 8:30 PM–11:30 PM
Lord Saunders
Food: All-you-can-eat, comfort food
Location: Forest Street (inside Afrikan Heritage House)
Hours: Sunday–Thursday 5:30 PM–7 PM
Stevenson Dining Hall
Food: Pizza, deli, soups, grill, vegetarian
Location: North Professor Street
Hours: Monday–Sunday 11:30 AM–1:30 PM, 5 PM–7:30 PM; Saturday–Sunday 9 AM–11:15 AM
Wilder Decafé
Food: Snacks, sandwiches, salads
Location: West Lorain Street (Inside Wilder Hall)
Hours: Monday–Friday 9 AM–1 AM, Saturday–Sunday 12 PM–12 AM
Wilder Rathskeller
Food: Buffet, á la carte
Location: Basement of Wilder Hall
Hours: Monday–Friday 11:45 AM–1:15 PM
Oberlin’s first co-op, Pyle Inn, was established in 1950 in response to student’s desire for more economical dining options, and improved quality of service. Run by the Oberlin Student Cooperative Association (OSCA), co-ops are an excellent alternative to Campus Dining Services (CDS). Co-ops tend to offer more organic and vegetarian options and rely entirely upon the cooking abilities of their members. About 20 percent of Oberlin students choose co-ops over CDS.
Since the director of George Jones Memorial Farm, Brad Masi (Class of ’93), worked with fellow students to redirect college dining into Northeastern Ohio, Oberlin College’s dining service now spends around $225,000 of a $2.84 million annual food budget locally.
The “Thinking of You” program allows relatives and friends to send Oberlin students care packages that will brighten their day, or lighten their late-night study sessions. Parents receive an order form in the mail shortly before the beginning of the school year and can pick from a number of different care packages, including ones for vegans and vegetarians!
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