Leaving home and packing up for an unknown place on what may be one of your first independent ventures is stressful enough. Having to register for classes and financial aid, maintaining a well-balanced diet is one of the more pleasurable experiences for freshmen. At Temple, it’s pretty simple for students to choose from a variety of meal options available at different locations on campus—and they are all within a college budget.
Temple’s traditional meal plan is ideal for freshmen and ranges from the Standard five meals per week to the “Super Value” meals, which includes fourth meal—a meal offered Sunday through Friday from 8 p.m. to midnight.
Fourth meal is convenient after night classes. Though it offers the unhealthiest foods, items such as mozzarella sticks, chicken fingers, fried wings and cheese steaks are not offered during any other meal times. Also included in this nightly buffet are a salad bar, cereal and do-it-yourself waffles.
The least expensive meal plan offered is the “Block 20” option, which includes 20 meals per semester. This plan is good for commuter students and those who no longer live on campus. It costs $192 each semester. Hungrier students might opt for the “Super Value Carte Blanche Meal Plan,” which has unlimited dining availability and fourth meal for $1,509 each semester.
The two most popular and most frequented dining areas for students with meal plans are the Valaida S. Walker Food Court, located in the Student Center and the Louis J. Esposito Dining Court in the Johnson & Hardwick residence hall. The Esposito Dining Court, better known as J&H, is the largest restaurant on campus with 13 different food and beverage stations, some of which change daily. J&H is an all-you-can-eat buffet—a great place to go with friends between classes and on weekends.
The Student Center’s food court offers foods made to-order, while providing students with new and exciting choices. The most recent additions to the court are Einstein Bros. Bagels and Dos Manos
Mexican. The court features Nuaji Sushi Bar, Mrs. Crepes, Philly Connection and various other eateries
to satisfy any student’s cravings.
During peak breakfast, lunch and dinner hours students should give themselves extra time due to high volumes of diners at J&H and the food court. Jacob Francis, a junior broadcast, telecommunications and mass media major, prefers to eat at the food court, where he uses the standard five meal plan.
Francis, who is not a breakfast person, said he usually eats lunch on campus due to his schedule as a commuter student. “I’d probably choose the trucks a few times a week, but mostly I’d try to eat at home,” he said.
Although the Esposito and Walker Food Courts are the largest on campus, the Lucky Cup Café is the perfect place to pick up a cappuccino and a muffin while on the go. Located in the Beasley School of Law, Ritter Hall Annex, Anderson and Annenberg halls, Lucky Cup accepts all of the university meal plans.
Fresh Bytes, located on the lower level of the Tuttleman Learning Center, is another meal plan-friendly facility on campus. This healthy eatery offers an array of sandwiches, salads, soups and fruits. Its location makes it convenient for students limited on time before class.
When students need a day away from the university’s dining options, Main Campus is filled with restaurants, pizza shops and food trucks that cater to everyone and accept cash and Temple’s campus currency, Diamond Dollars.
Nikki Volpicelli can be reached at nicole.volpicelli@temple.edu
A good campus should not only provide good learning experience but also a good place to dine and eat. When your stomach is full, you don’t mind spending hours reading your books!