Meal Plans are not just for on-campus eateries anymore. Now, theOff-Campus Meal Plan and Tiger Cash allow students to traveloff-campus to dine.
The Off-Campus Dining Network, which offers the Off-Campus MealPlan, has a declining balance system much like a debit card, saidCade Lemcke, vice president of marketing for the Off-Campus DiningNetwork. The program is not affiliated with the University.
The company has meal plans at 33 universities nationwide, andthe Fall semester will mark the start of the program at LSU, Lemckesaid.
Lemcke said the company is excited about bringing the program toLSU.
“There’s some great restaurants there, and the students havebeen asking us to bring the Off-Campus Meal Plan there for a coupleof years now,” Lemcke said.
Lemcke said with the plan a student or parent can sign up, startwith any amount of money and receive his or her meal plan card.Later, they can add more money to the card at theirconvenience.
Students can use the card as any type of payment at restaurants,and when the card is swiped, the balance is deducteddollar-for-dollar, he said.
Lemcke said students can only use the card for food purchases,not alcohol.
Money from each semester carries over to the next, and if astudent graduates or leaves school they can receive a refund formoney they put on the card, Lemcke said.
There are 13 area restaurants participating in the Off-CampusMeal Plan so far, including restaurants as close to campus asLouie’s Cafe and Roly Poly, and as far as Brewbacher’s and Cinco DeMayo Grill on Nicholson Drive. Most of the restaurants are withinwalking distance from campus.
But competition from the University is in the works. The fallsemester will bring the possibility of Tiger Cash off-campus, sostudents can use their Tiger Card to purchase items at selectbusinesses, said Mark Kraner, director of Contracted AuxillaryServices.
Before, students, faculty and staff could only use their TigerCash on-campus, at places such as Middleton Library, the Union andvending machines.
Kraner said although the Off-Campus Meal Plan is competing forstudents, it’s not entirely the same.
“We’re different than they are — we’re not just dining,” Kranersaid.
A postcard used to promote the program lists some of the arearestaurants, including The Chimes, Roul’s Deli, Mellow Mushroom,Pluckers and Domino’s Pizza. The postcard also lists businessessuch as Bengal Beach Tanning Salon, Cracker Barrel ConvenienceStores, Winn-Dixie and the LSU Bookstore.
In addition, if Tiger Cash is used at the LSU Bookstore, thereis a 5 percent discount on textbooks, and if the Tiger Card ispresented at Winn-Dixie on Wednesdays, there will be a 5 percentdiscount on the purchase.
Kraner said the program has been in the planning stages forthree years. The program so far has signed 20 businesses toparticipate.
Kraner said carrying a Tiger Card is safer and more convenientbecause students do not have to carry cash.
Anyone who has a Tiger Card — faculty, staff or student — canopen a Tiger Cash account.
Kraner said the goal for this year is for a Tiger Card owner tobe able to view up to six months of transactions from their accountonline. Right now, it is only possible to view a few days’ worth oftransactions.
The card cannot be used to make tobacco or alcohol purchases dueto University policy.
Lemcke said the Off-Campus Meal Plan is patent-pending to be theonly off-campus meal plan program. The company is currently talkingwith the University about the Tiger Cash program, and if Tiger Cashis allowed to go off-campus since both programs are the sameconcept.
But Kraner said the Tiger Cash program is not a meal plan –because some of the businesses participating are notrestaurants.
Tara Aucoin, owner of Roly Poly on State Street, said they justbegan the Off-Campus Meal Plan program at their restaurant abouttwo months ago, and so far she has only seen about five people withthe cards.
She said there probably will be more students who participateonce school starts.
Roly Poly also will use the Tiger Card program, and StephenTerese, manager of the restaurant, said he thinks the Tiger Cashprogram will be more successful.
“The big deal [is] that parents trust things that are by theschool,” he said. “LSU parents want to spend their money atLSU.”
Terese said they will probably see which program — Tiger Cashor Off-Campus Meal Plan — will be more successful, and choose thebetter of the two for their restaurant.