Meal Plans, Dining Dollars, and Bulldog Bucks: What Are They?

Concordia University, Nebraska offers its students a wide variety of options for eating on campus. Whether you live in a traditional dorm, the apartment-style Jonathan building or in an off-campus apartment or house, if you are a Concordia student, you’ll often need to eat on campus at Concordia during the school day. Luckily, students have many choices regarding their meal plans, as well as several options outside of the main Janzow dining hall.  

If you live on-campus in a dorm other than Jonathan, you’ll need to have a meal plan – but how exactly do meal plans work? Concordia offers three different meal plans. The “unlimited” option allows students to swipe their I.D. card in the dining hall as many times as they like during the day, during any time that the dining hall is open.  

The 190-block meal plan allows students 190 card swipes in the dining hall each semester, which equates to about two meals per weekday, although there is no limit on how many swipes students may use over a week. The smallest meal plan option, the 85-block, is available only to students who live off-campus or in the Jonathan dorm. This plan allows students 85 meal swipes per semester, or approximately one meal in the dining hall each weekday.  

All these meal plans automatically include “dining dollars,” which are provided by the institution as part of a student’s plan. While the unlimited meal plan provides students with $150 in dining dollars each semester, students on the 190-block or 85-block plan receive $200. Students can spend these dining dollars at the 10:31 coffee shop, the Dog House, or Janzow if they run out of meal swipes. Dining dollars carry over between semesters, but not academic years.  

Bulldog Bucks, on the other hand, are paid for by outside funds, although they function in the same manner as dining dollars. Parents, grandparents, siblings, and others can add these to a student’s account in $25 increments; unlike dining dollars, Bulldog Bucks carry over until a student graduates.  

Talking about all these different dining options might make you hungry – so what’s on the menu at each of these locations? First, Janzow dining hall offers a buffet-style dining option where students can find rotating hot food options, pizza and pasta, sandwiches, a salad bar, waffle machines, various desserts and more. Plus, breakfast options are as numerous, with various hot options as well as yogurt, assorted fruit, pastries, bagels, and cereal.  

The Dog House is a casual restaurant where students can use dining dollars or Bulldog Bucks on many of the same items that can be found at a typical fast food restaurant, including burgers and fries, milkshakes, chicken tenders, mozzarella sticks, and salads. The Dog House also offers various to-go options like bagged snacks, bottled beverages, and pre-packaged wraps, sandwiches, and salads. The Dog House is a great option for students who are short on time or want a quick meal.  

10:31 is another favorite location of Concordia students, providing them with their favorite coffees, teas, and other favorite beverages and treats. Students can use dining dollars or Bulldog Bucks to buy coffee, espresso drinks of all kinds, as well as tea, smoothies, energy drinks, and a variety of food items, such as trail mix, cinnamon rolls, cookies, and granola bars! 10:31 offers an astounding variety of flavoring syrups to make drinks fun and unique, and even posts a rotating monthly menu of seasonal creations! 

There are many options available for Concordia students, no matter their culinary preferences. Between 10:31, the Dog House, and Janzow’s dining hall, everyone can find food that suits their wants and needs. Concordia’s dining services are ready to support all their students, even those with dietary restrictions or allergies. Food is an important part of the college experience – and students will discover that at Concordia, there is no shortage of tasty options.  

Want to explore Concordia’s dining options? Learn more here.