Jazzman’s $5 plan an unfair ‘exchange’

By Jason Moran
February 17, 2010

Many students have been running out of their flex-dollars halfway through the semester and wondering why this has been happening to them. You don’t have to look too far to find the answer to why this problem is occurring. Simply look at the pricing on Jazzman’s and Sandella’s menu and how they don’t match up with the allotted money for meal exchange.

As part of the meal plan here at Cabrini, students are given the option of eating at Jazzman’s and Sandella’s along with the cafeteria. When students eat at Jazzman’s and Sandella’s they are given $3 for breakfast and $5 for both lunch and dinner; this is called meal exchange. This seems like a good idea for students because they’re able to go to the cafeteria as well as have a second option in Jazzman’s and Sandella’s. However, when you start to look at the numbers, this system doesn’t make any sense at all.

Students are given $5  for meal exchange, but the problem is you can’t get an actual meal at Jazzman’s or Sandella’s for $5. Almost all the food items at these two locations are priced over $5 to begin with. To most students, a meal consists of a sandwich or a quesadilla and a drink. If you want these items for a meal in Jazzman’s or Sandella’s you’re probably looking to spend somewhere around $7-$9.  This means that you’ll use your $5 that you’re allotted for meal-exchange and then continue to waste $3 flex of your own. So, if you have a meal plan with $50 flex on it and you get a meal that costs around $8 once a day, your flex dollars will be completely wiped out in approximately three weeks.

“I find it convenient that meal exchange does not even cover a whole meal in Jazzman’s and Sandella’s. It should be meal exchange and waste your flex,” Andy Golden, senior history and political science major, said.

The straw that broke the camel’s back for me was when I got a to-go hoagie last week. The price of the hoagie was $4.99. When I took it back to my room I measured it and it was 6 inches long and this enraged me. You can go to Subway and Quizznos and get a foot-long hoagie, which is twice the size for the same price of $5.

Another thing that students are concerned about are the drink prices at these on-campus eating locations. After some research of going to Wawa, Campus Corner and a grocery store it was found that Jazzman’s and Sandella’s have the most expensive drinks. For example, an Arizona Iced Tea here is $2.45, at Wawa it is $1.65 and $1.00 at a grocery store. To most people, $2.45 for an Arizona Iced Tea doesn’t make any sense and, to put things in perspective, you can get two Arizona Iced Teas at Jazzman’s and only have .10 cents left over for meal-exchange.

Most students find the food at Jazzman’s and Sandella’s really good. Also, their customer service is great and their workers connect with the students at both places. However, something needs to be done to help students out. Either these two restaurants need to lower their prices or students need to be given more money for meal exchange or maybe a combination of both.

To eat in the cafeteria for breakfast it is $3.95, lunch is $5.95 and dinner is $6.95. These seem like the prices we should be getting for meal-exchange to be using in Jazzmans and Sandellas.

“Love the Jazzman’s workers, hate Jazzman’s prices,” Jake Neary, sophomore education major, said.

Jazzman’s Drink Prices Comparison
Drink                                Jazzmans          Campus Corner    Wawa        Grocery Store
Arizona Ice-Tea                2.45                      N/A                      1.65                 1.00
Soda                                  1.99                      1.69                      1.49                1.38—2 Liters
Lipton                                2.29                      N/A                      1.59                 5.98—12 Pack
Gatorade                           2.29                      1.50                     1.49                 6.98—8 Pack
Vitamin Water                   2.39                     1.89                     1.69                  1.38

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Jason Moran

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