Stockton’s Fall semester began with a huge change for the Ospreys when Chartwells decided to completely revamp the system without any proper notice to students and/or parents. The response was massive and mostly negative, as seen in a previous Argo article.

With the Fall semester of 2025 coming to a close, the opinions have shifted. Throughout the semester, The Argo conducted two surveys for both students and parents about the meal plans and returned with significant responses. In the student assessment, there was an almost-equal amount of responses from every meal plan type. However, in the parent form, the majority of responders were parents of first-year students, who had a lot to say about the new system.

Many students and parents were forced to get a meal plan; some had kitchens in their dormitories while others were commuters that barely ate on campus. Some students were forced due to their housing assignment, but most were first-year students adhering to the new demand. In the student form, 72.7% of responders felt that their meal plan was not worthwhile, while 79.3% of parents believed the plans were not worthwhile. First-year students are only allowed to use Weekly Meal Plans, as the Block plans are reserved for upperclassmen. They are also required to purchase a plan whether or not they live on campus.

An Environmental Science student living in Housing 1, who transferred to Stockton this year, said, “That’s an extra $1000 in loans per semester that I could be saving. My dorm has a kitchen, [so] I could make all my meals there. Why force me to eat food on campus if I have a kitchen? For dorms with kitchens, students should have more flexibility for how many meal swipes they get; swipes could roll over between weeks for example, or they could just choose no swipes and instead only add money towards Flex dollars—and it should be entirely optional!”

A first-year EOF student who commutes said, “I attended the EOF summer academy and barely ate the food at N Wing. My financial aid is stuck in verification and being a first-year student, I had to cancel my housing for personal reasons, but it was also too expensive. When paying my bill, I am forced to pay for a meal plan I did not want, and should not need as a commuter.”

A junior Computer Science major said they got the 100 Block plan “because [they] don’t need to have replenished meals every week, but 100 block plus Flex was just barely adequate and [they] chose it to save money.” They followed with, “Before this semester, meal plans gave you way more value for your dollar amount, but now it even gives you less than the dollar value I paid. I am now considering not having a meal plan next semester and just using cash or card. All this negative change and it still keeps the same expensive price it [had] previously.”

Parents are especially displeased with the mandatory meal plans, with most first-year students being dependent students. Many are residing in Housing 1 with a full kitchen, which gives both students and parents additional expenses. The meal plans tend to go unused, making it a terrible waste.

Joshua Corsentino, a senior who lives in Housing 1, chose the Osprey on the GO plan, originally for commuters. “Since Housing was already nearly $5,000 a semester, I didn’t want to spend almost another $1,000 on the residential meal plans. Plus, with my schedule, I didn’t think I would make much use of it, so I figured On the Go would be the best choice,” he said.

56.8% of student responders and 67.4% of parent responders have spent a lot of money on groceries and off-campus dining, even with their meal plans. Stephanie Sawyer, the parent of a sophomore using the 100 Block plan, said: “I am having to supplement her meal plan with groceries and the supermarkets in the area are very pricey! When [my daughter] uses just the meal plan for Equivalency, it’s inevitable that she will go over the cost and have to use Flex dollars. She doesn’t want to do that for a basic meal so she’s not getting enough food to fuel her body.” Many are also displeased at how meal swipes are worth $7 in the morning and $8.50 in the afternoon.

72.7% of students and 73.9% of parents felt uninformed about the changes to the system. A senior Business Administration major with a Commuter Plan (Osprey on the GO) said, “I received an email on the first day of classes, as opposed to prior.” Many felt confused and disoriented when classes started, especially those with Weekly meal plans that worked very differently to the Block and Commuter plans.

72.4% of Weekly Plan users feel restricted with their dining options. A senior Marine Science major living in Housing 4 with the 21 Weekly Plan said, “The meal plan essentially forces me to eat at N-Wing for 1/3 of my meals. Often, that means walking to N-Wing after class for dinner, which decreases the time I have to study for classes. Since N-Wing no longer provides breakfast, there is no longer a benefit to having meals exclusively at N-Wing: it is either closed when I have time to eat or is an additional 40-minute round trip commute to get to.”

A Junior International student on the 100 Block Plan said, “Because with the current plan I have now, I have to be calculated with what I’m eating, where I’m eating, and what time I’m eating as I only average a meal a day. And so for that meal to be worthwhile I have to go to N-wing and eat up for the rest of the day [until] the next day.”

In response to criticism of the meal plan changes, Stockton Dining said the following:

“There was a misunderstanding with the changes to the meal plan. Students who chose a larger meal plan, not realizing they came with board swipes, were unhappy because they do not frequent the Food Hall where board swipes are accepted. Many of these students lived in Atlantic City, where the minimum required plan did not include board swipes. Students were purchasing these plans even though they were not required to do so. Students were instructed and able to change to smaller plans with no penalty up to September 3^rd. Due to student feedback, we have added two more locations to accept board swipes—Breakfast & Co. in the Osprey Food Court, and Southside Bistro in Atlantic City (via Boost only).”

The change allowing board swipes in Atlantic City was not implemented until later in the semester, leaving many new AC freshmen forced to get a Weekly Plan without nearby breakfast options for weeks.

63.6% of student responders think that N Wing should have breakfast available. However, some students have mixed feelings due to the quality of food at N-Wing.

One sophomore Environmental Science student (Housing 1, Osprey Social Plan) said, “I think there should still be breakfast options on campus, but in all honesty, as much as N-wing breakfast shutting down seems to be a financial decision I don’t entirely support it being brought back. The food there is never good. Who in the world wants soggy corn chips in undercooked scrambled eggs? The quality is not there for students to actually desire going to breakfast there.”

Another sophomore with the 16 Weekly Plan supported N-Wing having a breakfast option, saying, “N-Wing often had the most diverse food options, as someone with sensitivities to many foods, Dunkin’ and other breakfast places do not have many healthy choices at all. I understand these locations are all understaffed, but these new changes just put more stress on the few workers at places like Dunkin’ and Einstein.”

22.7% of student responders rated Stockton’s food quality at a 6 out of 10 and a 7 out of 10. In terms of health and safety, 22.7% rated it a 5 out of 10. However, with parent responses, 32.6% responded that their students’ satisfaction with Stockton’s food quality was a 1 out of 10. 66.3% of parents reported their students mentioning poor food quality and/or nutrition on campus.

One parent of a freshman using the 21 Weekly Plan stated, “They like some of the options and the variety of options (mostly only have a lot of options because of the 21 plan and more meal equivalencies). They need to use more than one equivalency many times to get the food that they want. With a lower plan, that would not be possible. Disappointed in the lack of basic, healthier options at the dining hall. Fruit is almost always empty and unavailable. Basic lettuce in the salad bar was missing for multiple days. Grilled chicken should be a healthy staple that is available at all meals.”

The Boost App has very mixed responses as well. 13.6% of students rated it a 1 out of 10 while 15.9% rated it a 7, and 18.2% rated it an 8. Parent opinions were also mixed, with 26.1% rating it a 1 and 18.5% rating it a 5. Positive reviews included: “It’s nice to be able to order before time and pick up. It really helps if you have a limited time window to get food,” (Junior, 100 Block Plan) and “LOVE being able to order without being in the busy crowds. It makes me more comfortable ordering food,” (Freshman commuter, Osprey Connect Plan).

On the contrary, a first-year commuter student (Osprey Connect Plan) stated, “It is horrible. Many of the food options don’t show up in the app, it’s overpriced, and the workers get overloaded with orders. It will say your order will be ready in 10 minutes, and then you’re waiting for over an hour for just one drink.”

Junior transfer student Anthony Bolton (Osprey Eats Plan) stated, “I like the convenience of being able to order ahead without having to be at a register, but I feel like the app fails when it comes to the coffee places, since you basically have to order ahead 2 hours in advance, which is completely ridiculous.”

25% of students rated the kiosks at a 1 out of 10. Many find it convenient, but some find it inefficient and unintuitive. Many students were dissatisfied with the fact that the kiosks were ready for use when many meal options were not available and there were still glitches in the system. In regards to this, Stockton Dining responded: “With the introduction of brand-new technology, there was an initial period of adjustment for both our front of the house teams and guests. Throughout the semester, we focused on streamlining the ordering process as well as improving the guest experience.”

They also stated regarding improving the system: “We have implemented several improvements, including adding KVI bars to assist visually impaired guests, introducing SMS messaging for completed orders, and throttling ordering in busy locations to decrease wait times while balancing kitchen prep times. To further support the community, we also created step-by-step videos explaining how to use the kiosks, specifically when paying with a meal plan, as we knew this was brand new to the Stockton Community.”

84.1% of students think the wait times are too long, even with the kiosks and the Boost App. A parent of a first-year student on the Osprey Social Weekly Plan said, “We would have actually increased [the meal plan], but the amount of times my daughter has ordered and the food is not ready [on time] is unacceptable. I work on a college campus (not Stockton) and I can’t believe how delayed everything is. We would have canceled and just given her more money to cook.”

Ryan Luty, a sophomore in Housing 1 with a 100 Block Plan, said: “I waited for 20 minutes after I ordered a cookie and a bagel at Einstein Bros. I waited for 30 minutes after I ordered for Chick-Fil-A before they opened it up for Grab-and-Go. All this when I don’t have that much time in between classes. I also tried to order ahead on the Boost mobile app and it told me there was a 45 minute wait for my order at Einstein’s.”

In regards to wait times and the functionality of the kiosks and Boost, Stockton Dining stated:

“There was a misconception that if you could not place an order on Boost and it told you the next available was, for example, 2 hours, this meant there was a 2-hour wait at the location. Boost is intended to be an option for students planning for their day and selecting their desired pick-up window based on their schedule. Student-favorite locations such as Dunkin’ and Einstein’s Bros. Bagels experience high volume, and the mobile app only accepts so many orders per hour to ensure the best experience possible for both mobile and in person guests.”

However, the app labels the posted time as the time the active order would supposedly be ready.

They further clarified, “If Boost mobile ordering stated the next pick-up time was 2 hours from the time you were placing an order, this does not mean there is a 2-hour wait at the location. It simply means that the next time a mobile order will be accepted at that location. Many students expressed frustration with not being able to place mobile orders, but visiting the location and placing their order on a kiosk was what we recommended.”

79.5% of students reported that interaction with the dining staff steeply declined, which was a loss for first-year students starting at Stockton this year. It has been more difficult to build the relationships that upperclassmen had with staff in previous years, especially with staff like “Cheesesteak” Mike or Chef Antwan Cammon. Many students feel that the Boost App and the kiosks need a space for additional comments or requests that aren’t included in the menu, since many don’t talk to the dining staff directly anymore. Ryan Luty emphasized: “Get rid of the kiosks, please; they are not efficient. I also liked talking to the dining staff last year.”

Stockton Dining addressed the misconception of cashiers no longer being available at dining areas: “The misconception that there was nowhere to pay with a cashier at the beginning of the semester did cause some confusion with those used to past practices. Cashiers are still located in almost every dining location.”

The Boost App has a special request function, but only for select locations like the Smoothie Lab and Paper Lantern. It brings concerns of adjustments to students’ preferences and dietary needs. In the survey respondent pool, 25% of student responders have dietary restrictions; 22.8% of parents have students with dietary restrictions. 54.5% of students and 51.1% of parents believe that Stockton is not inclusive to those with these restrictions.

One concerned parent said, “My daughter lives in Kesselman, and after 2 years unsatisfied with her meal options, especially as a vegetarian, opted not to pay for any meal plan. She prefers to use her debit card if she is on campus and needs food.”

A Stockton Dining representative stated in the informative webinar at the beginning of the semester that the new requirements for first-year students were meant to help them “learn to budget” with their meal swipes and Flex dollars. On a scale of 1 to 5 measuring how much responders agreed with this reason, 34.1% of student responders rated ‘1’ and 11.4% of students rated ‘5’. 46.7% of parents rated ‘1’ and 14.1% rated ‘5’.

A sophomore majoring in Environmental Science (Housing 1, Osprey Social Plan) stated, “While that definitely seems a plausible reality for some students, not everyone actually benefits from that kind of a structure the same way. I’d also love to see any actual data on that statement, because I recall most students complaining that there were too few options for first year student meal plans, especially in the first semester.”

They also stated: “They do not care about what benefits the students. They care about what helps the university financially, and that is evident based on the way they have included less value in their meal equivalencies, shut down N-wing breakfasts, switched to the ABC plan and revoked it, and now they are using kiosks and an app instead of paying humans to actually staff campus. While the app is convenient, and kiosks can be more appealing for some, the lack of ability to talk to staff or request specific things is egregious. An app or ordering program can never be as detailed as an actual person, and it is not accessible to everyone to begin with.”

Compared to the pilot meal plan in Spring 2025, the current system has a deeper, more negative response. 59.3% of students think the previous semester’s plan was better than the current one. Stockton Dining said in response to the student and parent feedback: “Stockton Dining is committed to always evolving the guest experience. Feedback is an important tool to help us learn, adapt and refine our operations. We have used feedback to implement changes and help us learn what parts of our new process need additional focus. In response to comments from students and parents, we’ve made thoughtful adjustments and taken additional steps to clarify our new processes. When we took the time to explain the reason behind the changes, parents were more receptive and expressed greater understanding and support.”

Stockton Dining concluded with the upcoming improvements to food services:

“Dunkin’ and Chick-Fil-A renovations will be happening in Spring and Fall of 2026. We will be redesigning the store’s footprint and improving the overall guest experience. We meet with the Student Senate monthly to address student concerns and feedback as well as work together towards solutions that better serve the Stockton Community. We will continue to foster customer feedback on menu adjustments and recommendations. Students can email stocktondining@stockton.edu.”

There is also a Dining Newsletter that was started through the Office of the VP for Student Affairs in October to inform students of updates and changes related to dining.

At the bottom of the surveys, The Argo offered an opportunity for responders to sign their names if they were interested in a petition to change the meal plan system. 25 students and 47 parents have signed the petition.