A PennCard is sufficient for fans of 1920s Commons, Hill College House and Houston Market, but a different kind of card could prove to be more practical for students with off-campus tastes.
A new meal plan has come to town. The Philly Meal Plan, run independently of the University by the company Campus Dining Network, is offering Penn students alternatives to the dining halls.
Engineering junior John Goldschmidt signed on this fall and so far is happy with the plan, which allows him to put money on a debit card that is accepted at several off-campus eateries where he can dine in, take out or order delivery.
"It eliminates the necessity to always have cash on hand, it's easy to use and there are weekly drawings for a chance to receive free dining dollars," Goldschmidt said. "Plus, there is nothing to lose -- you get back any money that you placed on the card that went unused."
Students can swipe their Philly Meal Plan cards at nearby affiliates including Bitar's, Philly Diner and Auntie Anne's Pretzels on their way to class. Others who are willing to walk a few blocks off campus can eat at Zocalo, 2 Goodfellas and Hong Kong Cafe, and those prepared to cross the Schuylkill can charge meals at Coventry Deli, Bonner's Irish Pub and Tower Style Pizza.
The Philly Meal Plan currently has 20 affiliate restaurants and 20 additional establishments on its target list. By next month, those from the latter group, including Abner's and other Asian restaurants, will become Philly Meal Plan-friendly.
Carrying cash has been a tried-and-true alternative to a Penn dining plan for upperclassmen, but Philly Meal Plan Market Manager Danielle Shaulis said that the card has additional benefits.
Promotions include bonus dining dollars for adding more money onto one's account, raffles for Eagles tickets and special coupons.
"And it's a safer way, especially in the city," Shaulis added.
For some students on the Penn dining plan, the Philly Meal Plan is beginning to look tastier and more economical.
College freshman Stuart Currey said he would consider signing up for the Philly Meal Plan next year, when he is no longer required to eat in the dining halls.
"The food at the Commons is terrible, and I've been sick more than once because of it," Currey said. "I'd love a chance to eat somewhere else."
The Philly Meal Plan allows its customers to either refund unspent dining dollars or transfer the funds to the next semester, but Penn dining -- which requires that freshmen sign up for at least nine meals-per-week -- does not give cash refunds for unused meals.
"I end up not using them, and it's a waste of money," Currey said.
But managers of Aramark, the Philadelphia-based food company that Penn dining recently contracted to charge its services, said they do not foresee the Philly Meal Plan attracting students away from dining halls.
"We're not too concerned about the Philly Meal Plan," Aramark Campus Services Marketing Program Manager Maeve Duska said. "We haven't looked at it up to this point as a competitor."
Aramark's student feedback program MarketMatch will report its findings in January, and if the studies show that students are hankering for off-campus eats, Penn's Campus Dining Services will not forge relationships with neighborhood venues but rather try to reproduce the restaurants' dishes in the dining halls.
"It will end up being more convenient for the student," Duska said. "We're going to wind up giving students exactly what they're looking for."
And the Philly Meal Plan and Penn dining are not mutually exclusive, Goldschmidt pointed out.
"The meal plan is a great alternative, or supplement to, a regular dining plan," he said.
Campus Dining Network began serving college students 10 years ago at the University of Virginia, where over 50 restaurants and 2,500 students now participate in a similar plan. Over the summer, the company expanded its services to 18 additional institutions around the country, including the University of North Carolina and Penn State and Michigan State universities.
Forty-five Penn students are currently on the Philly Meal Plan, and Shaulis said she hopes to sign more of the student body over the course of the school year.
"About 1,200 students is my goal," said Shaulis, who has aimed to increase visibility by placing advertisements in school newspapers, e-mailing via UCNet.com and putting up a bus shelter poster.
Campus Dining Network, like credit card companies, makes its profits by taking a cut of their affiliate restaurants' sales, and in turn provides them with free advertising and all equipment necessary to process the card.
"There's no fee to sign on, so there's no profit from the students," Shaulis said. "The only profit we make is a small percentage from the restaurants."
Philly Diner Manager Alex Abdul said that he thinks the partnership with the Philly Meal Plan will benefit both the restaurant and the students.
"It's fairly new, so we haven't seen more business yet," Abdul said. "But they advertise for us, for one, and it'll bring people to eat here regularly."
