Whether it be sipping on a latte at Novack or frequenting the stir-fry station at Foco, dining options are plentiful at Dartmouth. But choosing how and what to eat can prove to be difficult. How do you balance swipes at Foco with DBA at other cafes? How do you plan out your meals to deal with rising DDS prices and avoid ending up in negative DBA? And how do you fight (or perhaps lean into) the urge to ditch the on-campus options and venture into town? No matter the issue, navigating Dartmouth’s dining system requires consistent thought and effort to avoid unwanted hunger or food fatigue. Students must therefore ask themselves, how can I make the most of the dining options?
Students may choose to be on one of the three on-campus meal plans, with varying amounts of swipes and dining dollars: The Ivy Unlimited Plan, the 80 Block Plus and the 115 Block Plus. The Unlimited — required for all first-years — includes unlimited entry into Class of 1953 Commons, affectionately known as Foco. After freshman year, students gain the option of the 80 Block Plus, which includes 80 meal swipes and 725 DBA per term, and the 115 Block Plus, which offers 115 swipes and 475 DBA per term.
As you walk into Foco on any given day, most tables on both dark and light sides are filled with lively students discussing their classes, how they did on their exams and the highs and lows of their day. Admittedly, most of these students may be ’27s who have yet to go beyond the bounds of Foco. For many of these students, Foco is the easiest way to make the most out of their meal plan due to its all-you-can-eat system. However, it can grow old quickly, according to Luis Hinojosa ’24.
“Foco can get repetitive and boring,” Hinojosa said. “So, [you need to] change [where you dine] up based on whatever you feel like eating.”
Annabella Wu ’26 agreed with Hinojosa, emphasizing how straying away from Foco becomes more appealing over the years at Dartmouth.
“I personally would not want to stay on the Unlimited all four years. As you become an upperclassman, you figure out which dining [location] you like more,” Wu said. “More DBA gives you way more freedom to choose, [and] most upperclassmen I know are not on the Unlimited. I actually can’t think of a single one,”
According to the Dartmouth Dining website, the Unlimited is the “preferred dining plan” for students, though it seems most popular for first-years, who are required to be on it. Most students eventually go on to discover their other options and depart from the Unlimited, which costs $2,447 per term, the most expensive meal plan Dartmouth has to offer.
Due to the cost of the Unlimited plan, many students opt to switch to the one of the less expensive plans. However, those seeking to maximize the value of meal plans like the 80 Block Plus or 115 Block must plan out their spending. Strategies are crucial, particularly with seemingly high prices at other dining locations across campus. If you set a system and stick to it, chances are your future self will be thanking you at the end of the term.
Allie Pierce ’25, who is on the 80 Block Plus, suggested students use a spreadsheet to plan out all of their meals and budget.
“My friend created a spreadsheet on what your DBA per Swipe count should be on the 80 at the end of each week,” Pierce said. “Generally, it’s DBA for breakfast and every other lunch and dinner. I only ever really use swipes at [Class of 1953 Commons].”
Pierce said this method can help prevent overspending DBA, a common problem among Dartmouth students.
According to Hinojosa, for those who have trouble staying out of the red with DBA, the 80 Block plan may be the best fit.
“[The 80 is] the best bang for your buck,” Hinojosa said. “[You can] get Foco dinner every night, [and] you get 725 DBA, which is great.”
In addition, if you prefer to truly explore your on-campus options, Hinojosa shared a helpful tip in managing your DBA spending: the GET mobile app.
“When you have that app, you can always keep track of [how much DBA] you have left and decide where you want to go,” Hinojosa said.
Some students frequent restaurants in Hanover to get a change from Dartmouth Dining. For many students, eating off campus is special or a social event. And with high Dartmouth Dining prices, eating off campus can be more attractive. On any given night, one can find a large table of students celebrating a birthday at Han Fusion or a few close friends catching up at Jewel of India.
“I eat off campus pretty often,” Wu said. “It’s a very fun social thing. I’m on Sugarplum, one of the dance troupes, so we’ll go out to dinner for someone’s birthday or for a social event.”
As Dartmouth students progress through their years, the outings remain, but the intentions may differ.
“I eat off campus depending on the occasion,” Hinojosa said. “We’re celebrating that somebody got a job offer, or something like that.”
As a whole, strategizing around your dining plan can prove to be worth it for many students on campus. For them, when it comes to food, a shortage of effort only leads to regret.
