LDS Business College Meal Plans
Below are the most frequently asked questions regarding the meal plan at LDS Business College and Carriage Cafe:
Will $500 feed my student for the whole semester?
No. Rarely does a student who eats at Carriage Cafe regularly make the $500 last the whole semester. Obviously the more meals they eat at Carriage Cafe, the quicker their money will be used up.
I thought the Carriage Cafe was there to supply my student with 3 meals/day, 7 days/week. Why are you closed for holidays, semester breaks, Friday nights, Saturdays, and most of the day Sunday?
Since the $500 will not last the entire semester, and since LDS Business College does not require students to buy a meal plan like most colleges do (the $500 is required only if you will be living in certain housing units ), we are not required to be and should not be expected to be the sole provider of every meal the students consume.
We have found through careful study and planning that certain times of the week are just not cost effective to be open. For example, we used to be open on Friday nights and Saturdays, but the students just did not come to eat during those times. Obviously they were finding other places to eat. Additionally, holidays and semester breaks are times that most students either go home or have other activities occupying their time, so again it is not cost effective to open the Cafe.
The Carriage Cafe is self-sustaining, meaning that as an auxilliary department of the LDS Business College, no tuition or other funds should be used to operate the Carriage Cafe. There are a lot of factors that go into this. We try to serve tasty, well rounded meals that are cost-effective for the students. There is a balancing act that goes on in deciding where to price our food. We could charge a higher price to increase our margins, but we want to keep the prices down so more students can afford to eat at Carriage Cafe. If we served lower quality food items, certainly our costs would decrease, but we probably wouldn't get repeat customers. In addition, about 1/2 of our sales come from outside customers, from places such as KSL television and radio, Traid Center employees, and Fidelity Investments across the street. These customers expect a farily high quaility of food, so we feel we must maintain what we currently are doing.
All of these factors go into what we do regarding menu, pricing, quality, and value. With these in mind we schedule our hours of operation to maximize our efforts. We do not want to be open when no one is coming in to eat. We try to be open only during those hours of the day when we will get the most amount of customers in the shortest amount of time. This saves on labor costs, waste of food that no one purchases, and other associated costs of running the Carriage Cafe.
If you are not open, what options does my student have for those meals?
There are many options available. There is a Wal-Mart Supercenter just 1 block from the Trax station at 1300 South where they can buy groceries. Their housing provides small refrigerators and means for heating up meals. The Gateway shopping center is just 1 Trax station past the college, and there are many fast food and sit down dining options available there.
When my student uses up all the money on their account, what should we do?
In case you are not aware, when students use their account they receive a 10% discount, and they are not charged sales tax (currently 7.85%). That is almost 20% savings! If your student wishes to continue eating at Carriage Cafe you should add more money onto their account. This process needs to be done at the Cashier's Office at LDS Business College. This can be accomplished either by sending money to your student and having them go to the Cashier's Office, or you can do that by calling them at (801) 524-8153. The funds will then be added to your student's meal plan account within 24 hours. There is a minimum deposit required of $40.00.
We have seen in some cases that a student will have used all the funds in their account, then pay with cash or credit/debit card for the remainder of the semester, in anticipation of adding more money onto their account for the next semester. However, by doing this they do not get the discount and they have to pay sales tax. The discounts only apply when using funds from their account. This is due to government regulations and their definition of what constitutes a meal plan. If possible, always keep money in your student's account so that they can take advantage of the available discounts.
Will the money on my student's account still be there when they return next semester?
Yes! Any funds in their account will continue to be there when they return next semester.
My student will not be returning to LDS Business College but they have money in their account. Can they get a refund?
No. There a a few things they can do. 1) They can spend all the money in their account by making purchases at the Carriage Cafe. 2) They can give their ID card (which they should no longer need in the future) to one of their friends who will be continuing at LDS Business College. 3) The funds in the account stay in the account for 1 full year after the student stops attending LDS Business College. They can continue to use that account until the funds are use up, even if they are not attending LDSBC.
Can my student buy food for their friends and family with their account?
Yes. Your student can use the funds in their account however they wish. Either a student ID or other ID is required to use an account, so your student must either be present to buy food for their friends and family, or they can loan their ID card out. We will not allow anyone to access a student account without ID.
How can I find out how much money is remaining on my student's account?
Every time a purchase is made, your student may request a copy of the receipt. This will show the remaining account balance. We do not provide this information otherwise. If you wish to find out the balance, please ask your student to provide that for you.