VegFest is an October promotion in honor of National Vegetarian Month. During the whole month of October, guests are introduced to healthy, plant-based, and environmentally friendly foods that are mouthwatering and full of protein and flavor during lunch and dinner. In order to celebrate the variety of possibilities of plant-based main plates, Metz is offering 50 different and delicious dishes throughout the month so more people that normally prefer a non-plant-based protein can open their eyes to the taste of new flavors, take the vegetarian route in their meal, and enjoy it just as much as their regular choice.

A word from the Chef:
Joan Bardossi, our Executive Chef, had a few comments about VegFest and the importance of vegetarian food. She narrowed it down to three main points: taste, environment, and health. Joan was a vegetarian when she was in college, and unlike the same few and bland options she had to work with during her meals, vegetarian and plant-based meals have come a long way with both flavor and variety. Now, students have many options for different tastes, and the dishes are well seasoned, cooked with care, and visually appealing. Here are some of the dishes Joan added to the menu this month: Brown-rice risotto with squash and pesto, vegan spinach enchiladas, vegetarian cabbage rolls, Buffalo cauliflower, vegan squash chili, and curried eggplant, just to name a few of the amazing options.

She added that vegetarian eating also helps the environment due to the amount of water saved when keeping and caring for fewer cattle and other farm animals. Also, with smaller pasture space needed for fewer animals, there is less stress on the land and local vegetation, leading to a healthier ecosystem. Lastly, Joan mentioned that eating a diet rich in plant-based foods has been proven to decrease the risk of many chronic diseases. Both vegetarian and vegan diets experienced a reduced risk of cardiovascular diseases, cardiometabolic risk factors, some cancers, and total mortality. However, those who were vegan enjoyed those benefits and a reduced risk of obesity, hypertension, type-2 diabetes, and cardiovascular mortality.

Learn more:
You can also pop by our VegFest informational table located under the entrance TV sign and grab one (or all four) of our health-related flyers to start new and healthy habits. From left to right on the table, the first flyer helps you with tips for preparing food at home since it can be a great way to save money, express creativity and stay on track with healthy eating. Get a basic meal planning exchange list on the second flyer pile that can help control blood sugar levels by spacing foods such as bread, cereal, potato, pasta, fruit, starchy vegetables, and milk evenly throughout the day. The third flyer available is an eating plan for a healthy heart, in which you can look at different food groups and examples of foods to make your own personalized meal and plan a delicious and nutritious menu. Lastly, on our fourth flyer, we have 20 Health Tips from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the world’s largest food and nutrition professionals organization, to improve your quality of life, in which they emphasize exploring new foods, such as introducing a new vegetable to your diet.
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Come by Garlock during October and explore VegFest. I’m sure you will be pleasantly surprised with what vegetables and combinations you will end up enjoying once you give them a try!

There has been a debate going around on campus for years, and every Fall, with the arrival of new students, the discussion comes forward once again. Everyone wants to know what is the name of Metz 8-10 pm meal hours. Besides being officially called Hawk’s Grill, the debate is whether it should be called Meal Equiv, based on the concept of meal equivalency, or Late Night, based on the working times being after dinner until later at night.

What’s meal equivalency?
You can use a meal swipe on the Hawk's Grill to get a quick bite combo with an entrée, side, and drink as the equivalent of a meal during standard hours and swipe on your way out. Your entrée choices are hamburger or cheeseburger, veggie burger, hot dog, grilled cheese, entrée salad, pizza logs, chicken tenders, and wraps/sandwiches. You can choose between 3 options for your side: french fries, side salad, or whole fruit. Your beverage can be any 24oz fountain drink, milk, or juice.

What about flex? What can I do with it?
As mentioned in the previous blog post, each student has a certain number of swipes and a certain amount of flex dollars, so if you want to add some extra fryer goods to your meal or get a single side, you can use your flex to get french fries, mozzarella sticks, pizza logs, and chicken tenders with a choice of sauce between marinara, plain, buffalo, BBQ, and country sweet.

The Hawks Grill also has everyday, weekly, and monthly flex specials. You can order a Colossus burger ($6.99), a Garbage Plate ($9.99), and a Beyond® burger ($6.99) every day with your flex. On Monday, get a bacon-wrapped hot dog. Tuesday is tuna melt day. Order a two-topping personal pizza on Wednesday. On Thursday, you can get a turkey club wrap. Friday’s special is a Philly steak sandwich. You will have to contact our Night Manager, Matthew Hollister, for each monthly special.

Anything else I can get at Hawk’s?
Absolutely! We have retail items, bottled and canned drinks, and Chef Fresh sandwiches, wraps, salads, and fruit by the cashiers that you can buy with flex. Retail items include chips, chocolate candy, energy bars, crackers, instant oatmeal, and mac & cheese. Drinks include iced tea, SoBe® vitamin water, Bang® energy drinks, Bubbly® carbonated water, Mountain Dew®, and Gatorade®.

You are now ready to order! We will see you out at Garlock from 8 to 10 pm for delicious late-night food...a meal equiv, if you will. And don’t forget to contact us with any further questions. Bon appétit!

As a residential student in residence halls, you are automatically assigned one of three meal plans for $2,207 per semester. You can choose the Gold plan, with a semester total of 275 meals and $50 Flex, the Silver Plan with 225 meals and $100 Flex, or the Bronze Plan with 180 meals and $200 Flex.

On the other hand, if you live in townhouses or apartments, you can choose to adhere to one of the previously mentioned three plans or even get the Apartment Plan with 120 meals and$100 Flex for $1,195 per semester.

A meal plan is optional for commuter students. However, besides all four residential plans commuters can choose from, Metz also has two different commuter plans for those who would like to dine at Garlock or swipe at the café rather than paying in cash. The Basic Plan has 25 meals and $250 Flex per semester for $540, whereas the Plus Plan has 50 meals and $200 Flex for $720.

Now, what do the meal swipes and flex dollars mean for your dining experience?
Meal swipes can be used during breakfast, lunch, and dinner hours by swiping in the cashier before getting your food. During one meal period, you are able to swipe into the eatery as many times as you want and it will only count as one swipe. You can also use a meal swipe on the Hawks Grill (also known as Meal Equivalency and Late Night), but we will explain more in detail in the next blog post!

Flex dollars come with your meal plan. They are a dollar-for-dollar currency that is available on every student’s ID, which means you don’t have to worry about having cash or credit cards on hand when you want to make a purchase outside of your meal swipes. Flex dollars can both be used at the Library Café/Intermetzo for drinks, salads, and snacks, at Hawks Grill for specific fried foods and specials, and at Garlock for meals. All students can add discretionary flex dollars to their meal plan accounts. Discretionary flex is extra flex money that students can add to their ID cards to complement their needs, allowing them to have more meals during the day at Garlock, grabbing more drinks at the Café, and many others. Commuters who don’t have a meal plan can also add discretionary flex to their ID cards in order to be exempt from tax when they swipe rather than paying with cash when ordering.

I have a guest with me, what can I do?
All students with Gold, Silver, or Bronze plans get included in their plan two guest passes. Students with Apartment plans have one guest pass available. If you run out of guest passes and you want to pay for someone’s meal, you can always use your flex or add money to your ID card as discretionary flex in the dining hall with cash or credit at the cashier station.

Lastly, keep in mind that unused meal plan meals and flex do not carry over to the next semester, so you must use them within the current semester. This means that your fall meals and flex don’t carry over to the spring semester, and vice-versa. The only item that transfers over is Discretionary Flex.

If you have any additional questions please feel free to contact us. Happy Spending!