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University of Alabama
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University of Alabama - Campus Dining - College ProwlerCollege Prowler3.85

Campus Dining

B+
Where does this grade come from?View all Campus Dining rankingsReview this school to add your opinion

Comparable Schools' Campus Dining Grades:

Quick Stats

Average Meal Plan Cost $3514 per year
Freshman Meal Plan Required? Yes
All campus residents are required to purchase a meal plan. However, those who pledge a fraternity or sorority can cancel their plans within one week of receiving a bid letter.
Student Favorites
  • Buffalo Phil's
  • Crimson Café
  • Fresh Food at the Ferg
  • Lakeside Diner

Student Author OverviewWhat's This?

Students enjoy the wide variety of food that UA’s campus offers. The Ferg’s Fresh Food Company seems to be the students’ favorite. If you live on campus, meal plans are the way to go. If students need to grab a bite on the go, the Ferg offers many fast food restaurants, including Chick-fil-A and Burger King. If you’re in a real rush, grab a snack from one of the many vending machines on campus by using your Action Card. If it is late, students can enjoy Lakeside Diner. Also, many of the dorms have all-you-can-eat buffets for a set price.

With the many options students have to pick from, campus food never gets old. There are eight meal plans students can choose from to make their dining experience fit their needs. Even without a meal plan, students can enjoy the food on campus by using their Action Card or paying with cash. Students say the food on campus can be pricey, but with Bama Cash and Dining Dollars, students can enjoy campus food without using their own money.

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Alabama Student ReviewsWhat's This?

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Campus Dining at University of Alabama

ghance

'15

Chemical Engineering

3.5
B

Delicious but Expensive

The meal plans and Dining Dollars provide access to all-you-can eat dining halls and the other campus vendors, but at $8.75 per meal plus tax, the amount of money spent can add up very quickly. Most freshmen that are required to buy a meal plan can hardly use all of their meals during the year, and there is no discount for buying meal plans ahead of time, which is very unfortunate. Fresh Foods dining hall has some of the best and freshest buffet food I have ever eaten, but watch out! It is very easy to gain the freshman fifteen when eating at any of the dining halls; very little emphasis is put on portion control or calorie consumption. After a while, some people feel that eating at the dining halls or the on-campus vendors just gets old, but I disagree. If you are ravenous and have the money to pay for it, eating on-campus is well worth it.

Jan 19, 2012

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Campus Dining at University of Alabama

rolltide14

'15

Mechanical Engineering

3.8
B+

Bryant Is the Best.

Bama has four dining halls- Bryant, Lakeside, Fresh Foods, and Burke. Bryant and Fresh Foods are only open for lunch and are the two best with Bryant reigning supreme. Their food is always good and they have larger portion sizes than the other halls since it's where the athletes eat. Burke is hit and miss and Lakeside seems to have a lot of variety at first until you figure out that all of their offerings run on a two week rotation. You can also use your $300 Dining Dollars for the food courts in Lloyd and the Ferg which have Burger King, Chik fil A, Pizza Hut, Boar's Head, and even a sushi place. There's also small supermarkets at Tut and Lakeside.

Jan 17, 2012

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Campus Dining at University of Alabama

Nelle

'15

Criminal Justice and Corrections

4.2
A-

Meal Plans, Dining Dollars, BAMA Cash Oh My!

There are A LOT of options both on campus and off. All freshman automatically have 160 meals on there meal plan and this is very helpful. There are at least places on campus that use meal plans and the meal plans are like basically going to a buffet. Then every student gets 300 dinig dollars and you can use these at places like subway or starbucks on campus. Finally is the BAMA cash that you load on your account personally but most places off canmpus accepts bama cash. So pretty much you get a wide variety of choices when it comes to eating.

Jan 12, 2012

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Page 1 of 12

Student Survey Poll ResultsWhat's This?

Rate campus dining on the following topics

Facts

24-Hour Dining Lakeside Diner
Off-Campus Places to Use Flex Money None, but Dining Dollars are accepted at Buffalo Phil's, Crimson Café, Domino's Pizza, and Strip Teas and Coffee. Students are automatically given 300 dining dollars per semester
Did You Know?


Want a quick snack before going into class? Well, over 100 vending machines on campus accept Bama Cash.

The Gorgas House was the first structure built on UA’s campus. It was the dining hall until the mid-19th century. It was also one of only four buildings on campus to survive the Civil War.

Need a pick-me-up before going to class? If so, take advantage of the coffee carts located around campus.

Bama Dining allows parents to send birthday cakes to their sons and daughters to let them know they care. There are two different-sized cakes, and both include paper plates, napkins, and forks.

Bama Dining also offers care packages. Parents can send their children a Welcome, Halloween, Sports Fever, Fuel for Finals, Welcome Back, Valentine’s Day, Spring Break, or Finals Stretch package.

If students decide to pledge a fraternity or sorority, they can cancel their meal plan with Bama Dining, but it must be done within one week of receiving a bid.

Dining Halls & Campus RestaurantsWhat's This?

Bidgood Bistro
Location: Bidgood Business Building
Food: coffee and specialty drinks, smoothies, and grab-and-go items
Hours: Monday–Friday 8 a.m.–3 p.m.

Bryant Sports Grill
Location: Bryant Hall
Food: Made-to-order entrees, carved meats, sides, desserts, made-to-order deli, salad bar

Buffalo Phil’s
Location: Burke Hall
Food: Chicken
Hours: Daily 2 p.m.–2 a.m.

Burke Dining Hall
Location: Mary Burke Hall
Food: Home-style entrees, salad bar, stir-fry, ice cream
Hours: Monday–Thursday 7 a.m.–10 p.m., Friday–Saturday 7 a.m.–8 p.m.

Doster Café
Location: Doster Hall
Food: Meat, fresh vegetables, Southern-style entrees, and desserts

Ferguson Center Food Court
Location: Ferguson Center
Food: Home Zone, Bene Pizza and Pasta, Blimpie, Bama BBQ, Pan Geos, Chick-fil-A, Burger King, Salad Garden, Bento Sushi, Kettle Classics, Express Grab & Go
Hours: Monday–Friday 7 a.m.–10 p.m.

The Fresh Food Company
Location: Ferguson Center
Food: Healthy
Hours: Monday–Friday 10:30 a.m.–8 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.–6 p.m.

Frëshens Smoothie Company
Location: Ferguson Center
Food: Smoothies, drinks
Hours: Monday–Thursday 11 a.m.–8 p.m., Friday 11 a.m.–3 p.m.

Java City
Location: Gorgas Library
Food: Coffee, pastries
Hours: Monday–Thursday 8:30 a.m.–9 p.m., Friday 8:30 a.m.–5 p.m.

Julia’s Market
Location: Tutwiler Hall
Food: Convenience store
Hours: Monday–Friday 7 a.m.–1 a.m., Saturday 10 a.m.–9 p.m., Sunday 2 p.m.–1 a.m.

Lakeside Diner
Location: Between Lakeside East and Paty Hall
Food: Burgers, patty melts, breakfast items
Hours: Open 24 hours

Lakeside Dining Hall
Food: Asian cuisine, home-style entrees, chop house burgers, grilled items, pizzas, pastas, deli sandwiches, salad bar, desserts, and beverages

Starbucks
Location: Ferguson Center
Food: Coffee, drinks, pastries
Hours: Monday–Friday 7 a.m.–8 p.m., Friday 7 a.m.–5 p.m.

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Hometown: Bath, Maine

Major: Public Relations

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