OT: Student Question re: Dining Halls | The Boneyard

OT: Student Question re: Dining Halls

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Can you pay cash to eat in a Dining Hall ? Can students still use their meals for their guests ?

I'm kinda getting a bit nostalgic and want to pig out at South again -- or maybe even check out the new dining hall in McMahon.

I know it's kinda absurd to *want* to eat dining hall food but it's definitely much better than it was years ago...
 
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The meal plans include a number of passes good for guests or off hour dining kiosks. The student has too run his card through for you. I'm pretty sure you can pay cash too, but I don't know whether you have to be accompanied by a student or not. I occassionally eat with my son at McMahon where he lives which is convenient because it is close to Gampel.
 

CAHUSKY

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Can you pay cash to eat in a Dining Hall ? Can students still use their meals for their guests ?

I'm kinda getting a bit nostalgic and want to pig out at South again -- or maybe even check out the new dining hall in McMahon.

I know it's kinda absurd to *want* to eat dining hall food but it's definitely much better than it was years ago...

I don't think its absurd. I haven't eaten at McMahon since 1991 and reading your post made me nostalgic for the bagels i would make into pizzas on the days when the entrees were too nasty and the old lady behind the counter who always told me i looked like Kirk Douglas.
 
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If you don't have a student swipe you in you can pay cash. It's pretty expensive though. I think like $11 for breakfast and $14 for dinner
 
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If you don't have a student swipe you in you can pay cash. It's pretty expensive though. I think like $11 for breakfast and $14 for dinner
From the UConn Dining Hall site. It is all you can eat and drink by the way:
Prices in the dining units are:

  • Breakfast $7.40 ($5.20 kids under 12)
  • Lunch $11.60 ($8.35 kids under 12)
  • Brunch $14.00 ($10.10 kids under 12)
  • Dinner $14.60 ($10.25 kids under 12
 
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Any students have extra "swipes" they would be willing to barter for Monday night at either McMahon or South ?
 
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I'd go to south if i were you. McMahon looks nice, and the food is decent, but unless you want to make about five trips to get your food, it's the most annoying DH on campus. They give such a small serving size on stupid square plates instead of giving you one big plate/tray and serving buffet style. The lines can also be ridiculous because of this reason. When I eat there i usually have about 5 plates at my table, it's absurd. McMahon does have great pizza, although you'll need to get like three slices because they're so small.
 
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I lived in Towers when each building had their own dining hall (during the week) and South was the first and only "super cafe". We'd go there on weekends...it was heaven.

Moved to McMahon Junior year and that was an OK cafe but ate just as many meals from the Deli in Alumni.

Senior Year in Hilltop Suites, the Hilltop cafe was not very good at all.

Pretty amazing the renovations they have done in each of the quads...hardly recognize the place any more.
 
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I'd go to south if i were you. McMahon looks nice, and the food is decent, but unless you want to make about five trips to get your food, it's the most annoying DH on campus. They give such a small serving size on stupid square plates instead of giving you one big plate/tray and serving buffet style. The lines can also be ridiculous because of this reason. When I eat there i usually have about 5 plates at my table, it's absurd. McMahon does have great pizza, although you'll need to get like three slices because they're so small.
I agree with this. In fact my son often walks to South to eat for this reason and also because of the fact that the emphasis in McMahon is on international food by intent and he'd like some good old meat and potatoes on occasion. If you are willing to settle for self serve scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, etc. instead of waiting in line for a made to order omelet, the breakfast will fill your gut quite well!
 

UConn Dan

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McMahon was were it was at when I was a freshman. Basketball team would also have their team meals there too.

The new Jungle caf and the new South caf then reigned supreme once they opened.

I can't believe it's been 13 years since I've eaten at a dining hall... Are non-students allowed (w/o a student)? Would like to take my 8 year old if we ever get up to a weekend gampel game.
 

8893

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On a somewhat related note, even though I graduated some 25 years ago, I still often find myself on weekends daydreaming about a bag of O'Grady's Au Gratin potato chips, a quart of chocolate milk and either a meatball sub from Dairy Mart or a cheeseburger grinder from Ted's.
 
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Blue and White next to Ted's--- Cocoanut Custard Pie and coffee 75 cents. 10 pm.
 
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I ate at Alumni during the week (closed now) and McMahon on the weekends (old South had the 'small' dining rooms at the time and they were on a different meal plan than the large dining halls) for 3 years. My last year, I worked the breakfast shift in Hilltop where I lived to pay for my car on campus and also ate dinner there; but, still had lunch in Alumni as I had many friends there and it was closer to the old Business Building where I spent most of the day. Alumni had a late night pizza place (great place to meet girls) and Hilltop had a sandwich shop, both were on the meal plans. I miss weekend breakfasts the most, making my own omelets and eating as much fruit as I could get my hands on.
 

CAHUSKY

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Ray's Place

I was there in 90, 91 & 92 and Im pretty sure the place in alumni was called Pauls at that point. I just remember it was god awful but we could use our dining card.
 
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Nostalgic?

You guys are young and these snippets make me yearn for the Old Old days (think 1979). The Dining Hall with the Cook and her assistant. Food was mostly crap. Occasionally, there were truly wonderful favorites. And ... you can get the Elected Student guy to open up the food pantry on the weekend to have a Barbeque of something. McMahon, Buckley, Hilltop were the worst places to eat. Stowe B forever ...
 
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Anyone work for UConn catering? They would feed us what they fed to the people at the event. I mean some of these were black tie events and the food was amazing.
 
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My first year in West we had our own tiny little cafe where the cook would make you good stuff if he liked you. They closed that my Sophomore year and it was usually South or McMahon for Breakfast, South for Dinner and the Alumni Deli for lunch. In retrospect the food really wasn't that bad once you knew what to avoid. We used to smuggle tons of grilled cheese's out of South for late night purposes. I remember being floored by the cereal cart where literally every type you could imagine was at your disposal.
 
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Individual dining halls in Towers were great. Family-style dinners were served by student "waiters". However, upon arrival at UConn my feshman year (Fall 1979) was disappointed my dining hall didn't have an "all you can drink" soda machine.

Anyone remember when the local liquor store near campus would deliver kegs right to your dorm???!!! On Monday nights, everyone chipped in $ 3 and said keg was deposited in bathtub of floor bathroom just in time for Monday Night Football kickoff at 9.
 

huskypantz

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I lived in Webster in Towers for three years. We had a great cook, food was always good. There was a trick to get free soda out of the soda machine during off hours.
 
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I always liked the milk dispensing machines they had when I was at UConn. Half-Pints of ice cold UConn Dairy milk. A lot healthier than soda and it was dirt cheap too.
 
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