The American University student body was welcomed back to The Bridge and The Davenport Coffee Lounge by an unwelcome surprise: neither shop accepts Dining Dollars as payment.
Originally introduced to the AU Dining and One Card Services meal plans in 2023, Dining Dollars provided a tax-free payment method for all on-campus dining locations The Bridge and The Dav during the TDR renovation, both of which, as One Card and Dining Services said in an email statement to The Eagle, are “not operated by the dining program but by other departments at AU.”
The All-Inclusive Basic meal plan and the All-Inclusive Standard meal plan, which are required for second-year students living on campus and open to third and fourth-year students, give $300 and $100 in Dining Dollars per semester, respectively. The All-Inclusive Plus and Premium plans, both required for all first-year students, offer $100.
“When I first found out about this, I was so upset and angry,” Mila Garza-Rios, a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs, said. “I loved going to get coffee at these places and dining dollars [were] my tool to pay for my drinks.”
Julia Ford, manager of The Dav, said in an email to The Eagle that she was first informed about this change on Aug.13, and told her employees at a pre-semester meeting on Aug. 25.
Ford said she was not consulted for the decision, but rather that it was made for them.
An email sent to Ford by AU Dining and obtained by The Eagle said the decision was made, “based on technical and operational challenges” and that, “[AU Dining] will continue to evaluate community feedback and work with [their] technology partners to revisit this offering in the future.”
She estimates that about 30 percent of The Dav’s sales come from Eagle Bucks and Dining Dollars and added that limiting the use of Dining Dollars harms students on financial aid who receive a meal plan. She said that the change has left a large segment of The Dav’s customers and the staff scrambling.
However, Lauren Schnizlein, a sophomore in the School of International Studies, says that she believes the policy is helpful for non-meal plan holders.
“It makes the lines [in both locations] shorter, and I would be paying for my drinks the same way regardless, because I don’t have dining dollars to begin with,” she said.
Each café offers a unique atmosphere and varying drink selection that creates a friendly colloquial competition – dividing students into favoring one over the other, and being passionate supporters of whatever they choose.
The Bridge, established in 2017, is located in the Mary Graydon Center and provides a large study and relaxation space with constant music playing, occasional open mic nights and other events. The Bridge also hosts yearly pop-ups during the spring semester, each with different themes, decorations and drinks to match.
The Dav is located at the front entrance of the School of International Service building and draws customers in with its aromas and monthly drink features highlighting different campus organizations and causes. The Dav also pioneered the “Mug Club,” which provides free refills on drip coffee and 20 percent off all other drinks to members.
During the initial rollout of the new meal plans, Ann Marie Powell, director of Dining and Auxiliary Services, discussed in a 2023 Eagle article the value she places on student feedback when implementing such changes. Before the changes, town halls were held with the Residence Hall Association, Undergraduate Senate, Graduate Leadership Council, Staff Council, the Health Educator Council of Students and the Student Dining Committee.
“I think a survey or even a town hall would have been a great idea [in this case],” Garza-Rios said. “We should have known that this was going to be implemented long before returning to AU so that we could have planned accordingly.”
This article was edited by Payton Anderson, Tyler Davis and Abigail Turner. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks and Ella Rousseau.
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