The final installment of a four-part series examining various facilities at Boston University.
Boston University students have a lot of opportunities to eat on campus, with a dining facility rarely far from dorms or classrooms. According to the Dining Services website, the campus boasts more than 28 places to eat on campus at 12 different Dining Services locations.
But many locations vary in the size of their menu, food prices and convenience.
The most accessible locations to on-campus students would logically be the dining halls with all-you-can-eat buffet-style dining. Residence dining halls accept meals and dining or convenience points, while other on-campus dining locations accept only points.
The Hillel House is a locations that accepts points or a specially purchased kosher meal plan. According to Director of Dining Services Joshua Hubbard, the Hillel House dining hall usually ranks in the top 20 campus dining halls in the country.
For students who cannot make it to dinner, but still live in one of the major residence halls, Late Night Cafés open up as soon as regular dinner service ends.
While the 575 Commonwealth Ave. dormitory, also known as the ‘HoJo,’ does not have a dining hall, it still has a Late Night Café called the 575 Café. The café is open from at 7:30 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. and again from 7 p.m. to 1 a.m. It’s also one of the few places on campus with cable TV.
Students who live off campus or further away from the main dining halls said they find on campus food retailers more convenient for lunch stops, with one of the most populated locations being the George Sherman Union’s Union Court.
‘The logical reason for this is sheer volume,’ Hubbard said. ‘It is about five or six times the size of any [other food retailers] on campus.’
The food court is home to fast food chains, including D’Angelo, Jamba Juice and Burger King.
College of Communication freshman Jenni Rothenberg, who lives on West Campus, said the GSU is most convenient for her.
‘The GSU is a good place to go so I don’t have to walk all the way back to West,’ she said. ‘There is a good variety [but] long lines.’
Rothenberg also said she likes being able to pay for her food with dining points.
College of Arts and Sciences senior Marisa Hudy said using dining points make the Union Court more appealing.
‘I wouldn’t eat there if I couldn’t pay with dining points,’ Hudy said. ‘It’s expensive.’
Bread Winners at the School of Management also accepts dining and convenience points, and the the Buick Street Market ‘ Café only accepts convenience points.
The market, located on the ground floor of the Student Residences at 10 Buick St., is both a small grocery store and convenience store.
College of General Studies freshman Julie Lagrotteria said she prefers the Buick Street Market over the retail places available near her West Campus dorm because the market has more options.
Bread Winners and the Starbucks in SMG both cater to a large number of students everyday, but SMG senior Mara Hart said both make up for it with the speed of service.
‘The service is really fast,’ Hart said of the relatively upscale establishments. ‘It’s faster then any other Starbucks I’ve been to. They really seem to have the system down.’
For caffeine addicts, Campus Convenience stores across the campus also sell regular coffee the cheapest java available at $1.
‘I’d rather go for regular coffee at CampCo,’ COM junior Kate Kalber said. ‘It’s cheaper and better.’
Ferretti’s, a slightly larger than closet-sized sandwich shop and coffee place under Warren Towers, often sets tables and chairs outside when weather permits. Ferretti’s only accepts convenience points and cash, but it remains popular.
The sandwiches bring COM Senior Becca Bollinger to Ferretti’s. According to Bollinger, Ferretti’s ‘has the best bread.’ She added that ‘the chicken and the turkey is really fresh much more fresh than at the GSU.’
Even closer to some students’ classes is Science Fare, a café that offers sandwiches, pastries, salads and beverages in the basement of the Metcalf Science Center.
‘It’s convenient and not as crowded,’ said CAS freshman J.P. Gilbert. ‘I like the sandwiches because they toast them.’
For students who have classes in CAS, the Café a well-populated lunch stop in the basement is extremely convenient. COM freshman Regina Verducci said the Café is her best option between classes.
‘I only have 10 minutes,’ she said, but then complained about the menu’s lack of variety. ‘Everything is carbs, except the salad.’