There are few meals better than a meal that comes with seconds. Late Night at True Grits used to serve seconds and thirds every night so long as the customer participated in the Unlimited meal plan. But, starting this semester, that all went away. No more chicken tenders with a cheese pizza to go, no more second round of french fries. Now it is one swipe per meal, provided the meal costs less than six dollars.
Ordering options have fortunately remained the same. Everybody’s nighttime favorites are still in stock and the line to order is always long. Students can also participate in the “meal deal,” a special package which guarantees a full entrée and drink for one meal swipe.
This new policy is disappointing but understandable. A hungry student could ask a friend on the Unlimited plan to swipe their red card time and time again for round after round of Late Night’s steamy delights and at no extra charge to the card owner. Unlike other meal periods, items served at Late Night can be taken to go, so there was absolutely nothing to stop three or four cheeseburgers from walking out the door to stock one dorm mini-fridge. Now the jig is up.
Kayla Hinderlie, a freshman psychology major, said, “I want to get my money’s worth, but portion control is important… college students sometimes go wild, so maybe this is a good thing.” The health perspective of this new meal adjustment is interesting, especially since the “Freshman 15” is a legitimate college health issue.
Along with the change to Late Night, there is the matter of additional meal swipes at Outtakes. In past semesters, students could swipe both at Late Night and again at Outtakes, provided they swiped at Late Night first. Now, any attempt to get an extra snack at True Grit’s convenience store will result in a purchase failure. Students on the Unlimited plan must now weigh the choice of Late Night or Outtakes.
For students without the Unlimited meal plan, this decision is nothing new. Only the Unlimited meal plan holders could do the double swipe at both True Grits and Outtakes. Any other meal plan, from the Mini 25 to the Flex 14, must choose one and choose wisely.
This is not the first-time True Grits has changed their Late Night billing policies. The system in place now was also in place during 2015.
Whether an experimental approach or a mistake on the part of True Grits, students were happy to sneak in their extra few meals during the fall 2016 semester. After a blissful semester of seconds at Late Night, students on the Unlimited meal plan must adjust back to the way things were before, savoring their one swipe for the fourth meal of the day.
