Meal Plans
How Does a Student Meal Plan Work?
Meal plans offer a comprehensive package providing access to a wide variety of food options throughout the day. Whether it is a poke bowl, made-to-order sandwich, smoothies, hot entrée of the day, avocado toast or eggs done your way, there is something for you to discover and enjoy!
All meal plans come with meal credits, flex points, and guest meals. Your meal plan is in full effect for the academic year. There is a grace period that allows you to make changes to your Spring meal plan, however, cancellations are not permitted for the Spring semester.
Weekly Vs. Flex Plans
- Weekly Plans provide more structure in terms of the number of meals available per day (up to 4 meal credits/day) and per week. Those meals do not carry over every week. For example, the 20 Weekly plan resets back to a balance of 20 meals every Sunday morning. This plan allows you to use up to 2 swipes per hour and up to 4 meal credits per day.
- Flex Plans provide a block of meals that you can use at your discretion, as they are not allocated on a weekly basis. This plan allows you to use up to 2 swipes per hour but can be used throughout the semester as desired. Unused meals carry over from Fall to Spring but all unused meals are forfeited at the end of the Spring Semester.
Points are available on both plans. The Weekly plans offer more meals per week, while the Flex plans offer more points. Points can be used at any dining location for a la carte items. Flex points can be carried over from Fall to the Spring, but are forfeited at the end of the Spring semester.
Meal Credits
A meal credit swipe allows you entry into either of our all-you-care-to-eat dining halls: The Sharpe Refectory on Wriston Quad or Verney-Woolley at the Emery-Woolley dorm. A meal credit swipe can also be used at most of our a la carte restaurants or cafes. When used this way, your meal credit has a value or equivalency, which deducts from your total purchase.
Flex Points
Flex points are regarded as cash-on-hand built right into your meal plan! Accepted at any of our campus eateries, these dollar-for-dollar points help when you want to make that on-the-go purchase or when you don’t need the full value of your meal credit swipe.
Guest Meals
Guest meals are for family and friends to share in and enjoy a Brown dining experience with you! They function as a meal credit swipe in our all-you-care-to-eat facilities.
As an example of using your meal plan, say you are at Andrews Commons and ready to pay at the register for your purchase. You may elect to first use a meal credit swipe and then pay the remaining amount using your flex points.