University of Minnesota - Twin CitiesCampus Dining Summary

Written by Vishakha Mathur

Vishakha Mathur

Hometown

New Delhi, India

Major

Communication Studies

Grad Year

2014

View all previous student authors

Dining hall food at the University of Minnesota is just about average. Students are usually unsatisfied with the variety of food options available. Eating dining hall food gets boring because it's usually similar types of food. Vegetarians and vegans do not get very edible options. Eating salads, cereal, or rice dishes is not substantial enough for the amount of money students spend on meal plans. All dorms offer a salad bar, but only some offer deli sandwiches. There is always an option of some sort of burger or fries or pizza. A type of dessert is always served, as well. An ice cream dispenser is also installed in all dining halls. The unfortunate part is that weekly meals do not roll over. Every meal costs to be about $9, which is a lot of money for students who do not finish all of their weekly meals. Many students rely on FlexDine money, which works in Coffman food court and some other places.

Eating the same food meal after meal, day after day, can take a toll on anyone. But props should be given to Dining Services for listening to student opinions. Dining Services has held contests for students to submit their favorite recipe, and the winning recipe is then served at the dining halls. They also have different ethnic food from across the world once a week. But even then, students should keep some groceries and snacks such as Ramen noodles or microwaveable dinners in the fridge for the times when they miss a meal or do not like the food. Hopefully, in the future, the services will be worth the money.