While freshman will still be required to purchase a meal plan next year -- a decision first implemented despite student outcry in fall 2001 -- the plans will be structured on a meals-per-semester rather than meals-per-week basis.
After nine months on the job, Aramark has completed its extensive student survey and incorporated the results into the new 2003-2004 meal plans.
The plans incorporate five guest meals for all plans, a longer period to switch between meal plans and more Dining Dollars built into each plan -- the largest freshman meal plan now includes $100 Dining Dollars, and the smallest freshman meal plan has $750. New retail operations where Dining Dollars will be accepted are slated for locations across campus.
Incoming freshmen will again be required to take a meal plan, but next year's options are all priced at $3,512 -- the same cost of last year's Penn Platinum Plan, which included 19 meals a week and no Dining Dollars.
However, the freshman plans will come in different combinations of meals and Dining Dollars, ranging from 575 meals each year and $100 in Dining Dollars to 270 meals each year and $750 in Dining Dollars.
Meanwhile, upperclassman options have been considerably scaled back from previous years -- the largest flex plan includes 240 meals a year, which breaks down to 7.8 meals a week, plus $700 in Dining Dollars. The smallest flex plan costs $995 and includes 50 meals per year and $425 Dining Dollars.
The freshman kosher plan will cost $3,800, and the kosher 150 plan for upperclassmen will cost $2,150. A redesign of kosher options will allow students who keep kosher to eat at any dining location and will drop reservation fees.
The thinking behind the new plans, according to Dining officials, was to give students the increased flexibility that fits their needs.
The plan is based on several months of marketing research from Aramark. The MarketMatch program analyzed the campus population by breaking it down to several "neighborhoods," based on geographic location and lifestyle factors, examining each neighborhood's needs through interviews, surveys and focus groups.
In addition, administrators from Dining Services and Business Services worked together with Undergraduate Assembly members in developing the plans.
Though in recent years proposed dining plans have faced heavy criticism, both UA members and Dining officials say next year's plans are less of a concession and more of a mutual agreement on the part of both parties.
"The difference between working with Aramark and Bon Appetit has been huge," UA representative Jason Levy said. "It really has gone from an adversarial relationship with Bon Appetit to really a notion of working together."
Although Penn originally signed a one-year contract with Aramark -- replacing Bon Appetit Management Company -- the Board of Trustees decided last week to extend its agreement at least one more year, with an option to extend the contract for 10 years.
A capital investment of $10 million is planned for dining hall renovations over several years.
Some of the major work, set to begin this summer, includes re-configuring Class of 1920 Commons Dining Hall to allow for more exhibition-style cooking and fresh-food preparations.
"Students today are much more sophisticated," Dining Services Marketing Manager Maeve Duska said. "People are used to going out to restaurants and... a retail-style environment, so we're really trying to take that and bring it into the residential dining facility."
