Courtesy of San Diego Student Dollars ProgramA new local business is now offering off-campus meal plans emphasizing local, healthy and convenient eating for San Diego students that can be used at a variety of restaurants throughout the city.
San Diego Student Dollars, launched in January, provides students with a debit card that can be used in the 27 participating restaurants in the San Diego State area, Pacific Beach, Mission Beach, Mission Valley and University City. Students from different San Diego colleges can be members, but the plan is especially convenient for SDSU students, according to Tyler French, co-owner of San Diego Student Dollars.
Plan members may dine in, take out or have food brought to their house or residence hall if the restaurant delivers.
“Our main focus is to provide students with healthy convenience, with a variety of food options and to support local businesses,” French said.
There are no cancellation or overdraft fees with the plan, and the money on the card does not expire, unlike some college meal plans that expire after each semester, according to co-owner Anthony Pavese. Students and parents can access their account online at any time to view their balance or add money to their card. Members can automatically replenish their account with a direct deposit taken straight from their bank account.
Members may customize a meal plan based on their budget and eating habits, or they can choose from one of five meal plans. The Web site lists the five plans ranging from “The Picky Eater,” the smallest plan, which includes 14 meals per semester and costs $98, to “The Healthy Student,” the largest plan, which includes 196 meals per semester and costs $1,372.
The Web site categorizes restaurants by type of cuisine. Among the restaurants’ cuisines are Japanese, American, Turkish, Asian fusion and Mediterranean. Pavese and French said they are always looking for new restaurant suggestions from students.
Two other categories offered to members of the plan are grocery and pharmacy.
“Windmill Farms is a local grocery store in the SDSU area that accepts the card and has organic products and good prices,” French said.
According to French, by next fall, several CVS/pharmacy stores will join the program. French and Pavese said they are trying to organize a deal with KB Books, the only non-food location that would be supported by the card. Alcohol and tobacco purchases are prohibited, assuring parents that their money is being spent wisely, according to French. French and Pavese said they hope to eventually expand so restaurants in downtown and Hillcrest will also be covered.
“A lot of students (at SDSU) are not familiar with the area, so the membership can serve as a dining guide,” Pavese said. “It’s an easy way to try new restaurants. I feel like a lot of students get in their comfort zone. Every week we feature a restaurant with discounted prices which encourages students to branch out.”
Pavese and French said they used a Colorado company called Flatiron Meal Plan to guide their business model while creating San Diego Student Dollars. Pavese said that for 10 years, Flatiron Meal Plan has provided students with off campus meal plans at the University of Colorado at Boulder, French’s and Pavese’s alma mater.
“Flatiron Meal Plan provides 4,000 students with meal plans, out of the 30,000 (students) total and has 80 merchants in their network,” Pavese said. “The university cafeteria now accepts the Flatiron Meal Plan card.”
As of now, San Diego Student Dollars has less than 100 members, according to French and Pavese. If it proves to be as successful as the Flatiron Meal Plan, the owners expect a large increase in membership in the coming summer months and next fall.
