Students who want to buy food from Jamba Juice and Chic-Fil-A will have to dig deeper into those wallets this semester following AU's decision to take the two restaurants off its meal plan.
The decision to allow students to use their meal blocks at Jamba Juice and Chic-Fil-A in place of the Terrace Dining Room was an interim option provided to students when the Tavern was under renovation a couple of years ago, said Julie Weber, director of Housing and Dining Programs.
Weber said there was an understanding that once the Tavern was fully operational, the commercial chains would be taken off the meal plan.
"I was pissed when I found out," said Charae Carter, a junior in the School of Public Affairs. "My reaction was pure and utter shock."
Carter said she used to frequent Jamba Juice last semester, but the store's smoothies are costly and students, like Carter, may be averse to paying the out-of-pocket expenses.
Carter, who is on the 150-block meal plan, receives $300 in EagleBucks per semester. But she balked at the notion of using her EagleBucks to pay for Jamba Juice.
"EagleBucks is money, and I refuse to pay $5 to $6 for a drink that doesn't have alcohol in it," she said.
None of the commercial entities were originally set up for meal equivalency, said Yvonne Matteson, general manager of dining services. Under the old system, students were only able to use their meal plans from 6 to 11 p.m.
Jamba Juice, which is relocating to the Tunnel that houses the Eagle's Nest and McDonald's this year, would have been taken off the meal plan anyway, because none of the eateries in the tunnel can accept meal blocks, Matteson said. The success of the Tavern just hastened the process.
"When the Tavern came back online after renovations, the number of meal plan equivalencies being used skyrocketed," she said.
Madison stressed the different options provided to students, even without Jamba Juice and Chick-Fil-A. Students can use their meal plans at the Terrace Dining Room, the Tavern, Tenley cafeteria and Block Express.
Madison rejected the idea that business would decrease at the two chains once students realize they can't use meal plans.
"You'll see some decrease, but if you want a Jamba Juice, you'll buy a Jamba Juice," she said.
Weber said she has no reason to think that taking Jamba Juice and Chick-Fil-A off the meal plan will result in a decrease in overall revenue for the university, or in the amount of meal plans that students purchase.
"Our meal plan retention rate is quite high," Weber said. She said that over 90 percent of students living on campus opt for meal plans. Freshmen are required to purchase at least 150 meal plans for $1,865.
Weber said she does not have any current numbers regarding the number of meal plan equivalencies being used at the Tavern because they've only been in business about two weeks. However, she said, at the end of last semester, the number being used at both Jamba Juice and Chick-Fil-A was declining, while the number being used at the fully operational Tavern was increasing.
Conor Lanz, a junior in SPA, said that he used to have the unlimited meal plan, but it actually works out better now that he doesn't have an unlimited plan, because he would waste a whole meal block on something that costs $4. However, he said he does miss being able to get multiple Jamba smoothies for "nothing" under his old meal plan.
