Whitman College partners with Bon Appétit to manage campus food service. Bon Appetit’s dining philosophy is simple. Dining rooms are gathering places. Breaking bread together helps to create a sense of community and comfort. Bon Appétit’s kitchen philosophy is simple. Food is cooked from scratch using fresh, authentic ingredients in their simplest, most natural form. Freezers are small, and deliveries of fresh produce and whole foods are big. Local and seasonal products are purchased to bring food alive with flavor and nutrition.
Students living on campus at Whitman are required to purchase a meal plan (see exceptions below in the “More about Meal Plans and Flex Dollars” section). Students living off campus are not required to have a meal plan but can add Flex Dollars for both convenience and savings. Students living on campus are assigned Meal Plan 2 before the beginning fall semester but can change to either of the other Meal Plans online using my.whitman.edu through the first Friday of classes. All charges will appear on a student’s Whitman College student account statement.
Whitman dining operates on a declining balance system where Flex Dollar charges are determined by the actual food students’ purchase and consume, not on a per-meal basis.
Meal Plan 1
$3,920 cost per semester
(Purchasing power $1,930 Flex Dollars).
How I Eat — I eat one or two meals per day when I eat on campus.
This plan is the minimum meal plan, which meets the college’s residential meal plan requirement. This plan is not designed to provide enough flex dollars to meet the needs of the majority of students. Students always have the option of adding additional Flex Dollars at any time during the semester.
Meal Plan 2
$4,220 cost per semester
(Purchasing power $2,330 Flex Dollars).
How I Eat — I will eat a small breakfast and lunch. Plus a big dinner.
This plan is designed to provide enough flex dollars to pay for approximately 15 meals per week, enough to meet an average student’s needs. All students required to have a residential meal plan are initially assigned Meal Plan 2 each semester but can make a meal plan change through the first Friday of each semester. Students always have the option of adding additional Flex Dollars at any time during the semester.
Meal Plan 3
$4,520 cost per semester
(Purchasing power $2,830 Flex Dollars).
How I Eat — I will eat three big meals each day I’m on campus. Plus, I like snacks for extra fuel, and an occasional coffee drink at the espresso bar.
This plan provides additional purchasing power, which students can use in a number of different ways: purchasing additional meals, purchasing bigger meals or adding in between-meal snacks and beverages. This plan meets the needs of nearly all students with higher caloric needs. Students always have the option of adding additional Flex Dollars at any time during the semester.
Quick Guide
|
Plan |
Students |
Price |
Flex Dollars |
|
Meal Plan 1 |
lower caloric needs |
$300 less |
400 fewer flex dollars |
|
Meal Plan 2 |
Base Plan (best for most students) |
$4,220 |
2,330 flex dollars |
|
Meal Plan 3 |
higher caloric needs |
$300 more |
500 more flex dollars |
Financial Aid
If you receive need-based aid and are on Meal Plan 1 or Meal Plan 2 your financial aid award is based on the price of Meal Plan 2.
If you receive need-based aid and are on Meal Plan 3, your award will be increased accordingly.
Understanding Meal Plan Costs
A portion of a Whitman meal plan supports equipment, administrative costs, and service in addition to the cost of food. Unlike restaurants that only make what is ordered, Bon Appétit must operate under the assumption that all students will show up for each meal, to ensure there is enough food for all. For that reason, it is not feasible for Flex Dollars to roll over from year to year.
Staying on Budget
Several tools are provided to assist students in staying on track with their Flex Dollar budget each week.
- Each dining location has a calendar posted indicating how many Flex Dollars you should have left on that day.
- Balances are briefly displayed on the register after each transaction.
- Paper receipts show the balance remaining.
- Students can check their Flex Dollar balance at any time by logging on to my.whitman.edu. Students with unused balances at the end of the semester are encouraged to take advantage of special sales of non-perishable items from the market in Reid.
Adding Flex Dollars for Students Living On or Off Campus
Both students living off campus as well as students living on campus with a meal plan have the option of adding Flex Dollars to their card. Flex Dollars always save the 8.9% Washington State sales tax compared to cash, credit or student charges.
Flex Dollars may be purchased by students at any point in the semester at my.whitman.edu in $50 increments, which are charged to your student account.
More about Meal Plans and Flex Dollars
- Four semesters of living on campus and being on a meal plan are required.
- Meal Plan 1 is the minimum required meal plan for all students living on campus with the exception of residents of Community Service House and College House who are not required to purchase a meal plan.
- Meal plan and Flex Dollar charges appear on a student’s Whitman College Student Account statement.
- Flex Dollars are not transferable to another student’s account.
- Students with unused Flex Dollars remaining at the end of a semester may select a smaller meal plan for the following semester if one is available. They are not eligible for a meal plan exemption.
- Flex Dollars remaining at the end of the fall semester carry over to spring semester.
- Flex Dollars remaining at the end of spring will not carry over to the next school year and are not refundable.
- Students with extra Flex Dollars remaining at the end of spring semester are encouraged to spend them at the Café ’66 market in Reid Campus Center.
- Bon Appétit will gladly work one on one with students who have medically significant conditions affecting their dietary needs to ensure that those needs are met. Students should ask to see a manager.
- Flex Dollars are applied to students' accounts in July. Students can change their meal plan assignment, check their Flex Dollar balance, or add additional Flex Dollars by logging on to my.whitman.edu and can authorize their parents to do the same.
- Full meal service is provided throughout the academic year while the college is in session and residence halls are open.
- Residence halls are closed and meal service is not provided during winter break, spring break, and Thursday, Friday, and Saturday of Thanksgiving break. There is limited food service available on campus during summer break. Please visit whitman.cafebonappetit.com for current café hours and menus.
- Only students who withdraw are eligible for a refund or reduction of their meal plan charges. Please review the college refund policy, which can be found at whit.mn/catalog.