Op-Ed: Affordable Eats on Campus

Like most Rollins students, I find myself frequently dismayed by on-campus food costs that only seem to be rising with each academic year. I know that I’m not the only person thinking this — The Sandspur has repeatedly reported on the issue, and one scroll through YikYak will show you at least three people bringing up the issue every other day. 

I started at Rollins back in Fall 2021, so I’ve learned to navigate the ever-changing campus dining options with a fair amount of discernment for value, nutrition, and taste. My goal with my dining dollars is simple: how can I avoid the horrific feeling of spending $20 on lunch just for it to be — respectfully — hot garbage?   

Over my tenure at this school, I’ve created a list of the best value eats on campus. The following recommendations include meals and snacks that are great for an on-the-go student looking to not break the R-Card bank while also not choking down dog food on the daily.  

I’ll caveat this list by saying two things: 

1. The cheapest food you will get on campus is in the CC, because it’s a buffet. You can actually begin to profit off of a swipe in there if you’re willing to go to war for a booth. This list isn’t that — because who wants to read a listicle that just tells them to go to the dining hall? 

2. Nothing on here is objectively a deal. As in, if you compare the prices on campus to the retail values of any of the foodstuffs mentioned on here, you will see that you are paying more on campus. This is our convenience fee, which — theoretically — goes toward paying for the facilities that buy, prepare, and sell us our food. If we are all forced to have some sort of meal plan anyway, I consider it my civic duty to tell you all about how to try and get some bang for your buck.  

And now, without further ado, here are my top five on-campus food options for students:  

Sincerely,  

A broke senior with fewer than $200 dining dollars left for the next five weeks.  

1. Jamaican Beef Patty 

1. Cost: $3.00 

2. Where you can find it: The Grind Café (Olin Library, 2^nd Floor), Bush Café (Bush Science Center, 1^st Floor) 

3. Comments: The Jamaican Beef Patty is the secret warrior of the 9 a.m. café rush. For less than half the cost of a breakfast sandwich, you can get a deliciously seasoned meat pie made with a flaky crust. Is it the healthiest option you can buy on the menu? Definitely not — but it’s a hearty option that works well on the go without being a punch to the R-Card.  

2. Uncrustable 

1. Cost: $1.45 

2. Where you can find it: The C-Store (Lakeside, Ground Floor)  

3. Comments: The Uncrustable is iconic — so much so that when Trader Joe’s released a crustless PB&J sandwich last month, they were sued for copyright infringement. While I don’t aim to lodge myself in the crosshairs of the Smucker’s or Trader Joe’s legal teams, I do know that an Uncrustable (or two) has saved me in between classes more times than I can count. It’s simple, reliable, and *just* unprocessed enough to still taste like real food.  

3. Side of Grilled Chicken + Side of Broccoli  

1. Cost: $4 each 

2. Where you can find it: The Lakeside Grill (Lakeside, Ground Floor) 

3. Comments: Look, I’m not saying this one is elegant, okay? It’s a grilled chicken breast and some steamed broccoli. But sometimes a boy needs to get his protein in while eating something that is a color other than brown or yellow. Veggies are important, kids — you’ve got to be getting your fiber and your micronutrients in one way or another. And $8 for both together is a pretty solid deal.  

4. Pan de Bono 

1. Cost: $4.39 

2. Where you can find it: The Lakeside Café (Lakeside, Ground Floor) 

3. Comments: Pastries can be a little pricey at the Lakeside Café, but the Pan de Bono makes up for this a bit by being two-for-one. And really, who is complaining about getting more Colombian cheesy bread? I’m certainly not. I’m always partial to recommending these in the morning because they’re usually fresher, but you really can’t go wrong with them any time of day. 

5. Chips + Salsa  

1. Cost of Corn Chips: $1.95, Cost of Salsa: $2.15 

2. Where you can find it: Cornell Café (CSS, Ground Floor) 

3. Comments: Is the food at Cornell Café tasty? Yes. Is it also expensive? Yes. But fear not — because snacks exist at every price point. Cornell’s standard bag of chips actually costs $0.05 less than the comparable purchase at Chipotle, and while this does not remain true once a condiment is included, the snack is still reasonable compared to other options on the Cornell menu. Besides, they also have the best salt ratio of any corn chip I’ve had, so my loyalty does go far beyond price here.

The opinions on this page do not necessarily reflect those of The Sandspur or Rollins College. Have any additional tips or opinions? Send us your response. We want to hear your voice.