Over the summer, several changes were made to Princeton Late Meal, some reflecting national Consumer Price Index (CPI) trends, while others have come as a result of community feedback and University data.
These changes follow a tradition of modifications to late meal at the start of each academic year, which typically include late meal allowance and price increases, as well as other adjustments depending on ongoing campus events.
In Fall 2023, this included a change to late lunch hours, now 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. instead of the previous 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., as a result of the closure of Butler’s dining hall. This expansion of hours was made “to accommodate meal plan participating students with a location closer in proximity to classes during closure of this dining hall,” wrote University Spokesperson Jennifer Morrill in an email to The Daily Princetonian.
This year, Campus Dining has implemented a number of new changes relevant to pricing, sustainability, and food options available at late meal, while also making several adjustments to increase efficiency and convenience for customers.
Pricing and late meal allowance
The late meal allowance for students on the meal plan has increased from $9.50 last year, to $10.25 this year, an increase of 7.8 percent. Morrill wrote that this price increase occurred to “better reflect current market rates for meals,” and conceded that the “adjustments have been made reactively rather than proactively.”
According to Morrill, the average retail price in the Frist Gallery increased by 8.0 percentage points, which she wrote “is in line with retail industry data.” According to the Consumer Price Index for New York-Newark-Jersey City of August 2024, food away from home increased by an average of 3.2 percent.
Oleksandr Mykhantso ’27 said in an interview with the ‘Prince’ that “in general, I feel like this increase by [about] a dollar is kind of nice.”
Olena Kovalenko ’27 expressed some confusion over the new charges, explaining that although sometimes her meal choice exceeded the late meal allowance, she was not charged for the additional costs.
Morrill explained that the Gallery’s “primary goal is to breakeven and keep the pricing in check; in order to manage the impact of rising food, beverage, labor, sustainability commitment and other commodity costs on our operations.”
Sustainability efforts
Some students noticed an increase in sustainability efforts from last year. Amogh Joshi ’27 noted that there were “more compost bins,” giving students a better opportunity to “be sustainable, be green.”
Campus Dining has collaborated with the Office of Sustainability to increase and update signage in the Gallery, and have additionally installed two compost compactors to the waste area. “We have certainly made efforts to reduce waste and raise awareness through operational efficiencies, education, and messaging,” Morrill wrote.
This is in line with the sustainability mission of Campus Dining to “consider the broader context of social and environmental issues surrounding food production, distribution, and preparation.”
An audit of Frist Gallery and Shultz Cafe in April 2023 found that over 60 percent of items going to landfill had the potential to be diverted to composting in the two retail dining locations. As a result, most packaging products in Frist Gallery were transitioned to compostable alternatives, and collection containers were installed in the area.
Food options and quality
A number of new food options have become available at Late Meal as a result of community feedback. This year, a new sushi provider “has expanded the options” while students have praised the new selections of paninis and the increased variety of food available to them.
In an interview with the ‘Prince,’ Advik Eswaran ’27 said, “the paninis are gas.”
“I like the new varieties of things that they have to offer,” Joshi added.
A welcome message to the Class of 2028 from Campus Dining featured the “new crispy chicken sandwich … featuring a buttermilk-pickle batter and fried to perfection, along with expanded options at each station within the Food Gallery at Frist.”
Morrill wrote that Kosher grab-and-go items have also been added to the Gallery “due to renovations at the Center for Jewish Life.”
Frist is also home to Witherspoon Cafe, where smoothies, nitro cold brew coffee, and convenience store items have been added over the summer.
The late meal community is encouraged to leave feedback on late meal, with a bulletin board asking for suggestions located in the Frist Gallery area. While most of the notes ask for various food options including grilled cheese, dumplings, and burritos, other notes thank the late meal staff for their work.
Students have also commented on an increase in food quality in the Gallery; Joshi noted that one of the biggest changes from last year is that “the food quality has improved significantly.”
According to Morrill, Campus Dining teams across campus “are working diligently to reduce ultra-processed foods and introduce more seasonal, local ingredients.” The sustainability commitment of Campus Dining echoes this sentiment, explaining, “We make it a priority to purchase local and sustainably-produced food.”
Logistical changes
Morrill also commented on a number of ease-of-use changes that have been implemented over the last year.
The grill has undergone some logistical modifications, with the pick-up number of the meal being changed from the last three digits of a seven digit number, to now being the order number of the receipt. This change was made “to make it easier for customer pick up to only have one number set in play instead of multiple,” according to Morrill.
Additionally, the order-ahead app was introduced in Fall 2023, allowing customers to place grill orders before reaching the gallery. Now, approximately 60 percent of grill customers use the app to order their meals, although late meal often remains crowded during peak lunch hours.
Mykhantso explained “I feel like it’s an even split” between mobile and in-person orders. He added “even right now, you can see so many people standing in line … because [for] a lot of things you also can’t online order.”
Morrill wrote that, due to the positive response of the order-ahead app with the grill options, Campus Dining has “expanded the service by adding Witherspoon’s menu, offering even more convenience and options” to customers.
Late Meal is open for the 2024–25 academic year from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. for late lunch, Monday through Friday, and 8:30 p.m. – 10 p.m. for late dinner Monday through Thursday.
Victoria Davies is an assistant News editor for the ‘Prince’ who covers University Operations.
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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