You’re walking back to your apartment after a long day of classes at your school. When you’re finally inside, the pangs of hunger you desperately fought off begin descending on you. In a moment of hunger-induced insanity, you rip open the refrigerator door only to be greeted by utter destitution.

At that moment, you realize that this week was meant to be grocery week and with your busy schedule, it slipped your mind to make that trip. With a disappointed groan, you retrieve your phone from your desolate pocket, open up one of the many food delivery apps you’ve installed since high school and scour through for something that sounds appetizing and inexpensive.

This is the reality many college students face, as they have to manage their educational endeavors and their nutritional needs. To cut corners, many students either eat on campus or venture to a myriad of nearby fast-food restaurants to grab a quick meal.

While on Mt. SAC’s campus, students have three main options: convenience stores, Eat Café and Café 91.

The convenience stores located across campus provide a variety of premade options such as sandwiches, soup, pastries, pasta and wraps. These items are fairly inexpensive ranging from $4 to $6 before taxes.

Also, the Mountie Stop and the Prime Stop convenience stores feature a small Starbucks for those who need to get their early morning caffeine fix.

Also, the Mt. SAC food truck will occasionally park at various spots on campus and offer students a quick and cheap way to get themselves something to eat.

While slightly more damaging to the wallet than the convenience stores, Eat Café is a great alternative for those who want something more filling or have extra time to sit and eat a meal. Eat Café features three separate menus, each with distinct offerings to cater to the wants of the student population. Some of these options include burgers, pizza and sandwiches.

The prices for these items range from $6 to $10 before taxes. Many of the offers come with the option to make them a combo meal where students are given a drink and fries or chips if they pay extra.

The final place to eat on campus is Café 91, a reservation-preferred establishment run by the Mt. SAC culinary arts program on the bottom floor of Building 78.
Café 91 serves an assortment of different dishes that change with each semester. Their menu also has the largest price difference of those featured on campus ranging from $1 to $12. However, their menu is picked by the students in the program to grow their skills.

Although many students stay on campus to get food, some prefer to explore options outside of campus. One such student is 18-year-old agriculture major Andrew Beasley.

“I normally go off campus twice a month to go get food,” Beasley said. “I mainly just go to The Habit.”

However, those who venture to these restaurants experience higher prices than those on campus. For example, at the Habit, for a combo meal of a single cheeseburger, fries and a regular drink, students are staring down a price tag of $13.89 compared to the same meal on campus costing $12.49.

Similarly, at Subway, the price for a six-inch sub, chips and drink comes out to $15.98. On campus, that same meal would run you about $11.82. That’s a $4.16 difference, which if done three times a week, quickly becomes $12.48 extra that is spent.

Meanwhile at Wingstop, a five-piece chicken tenders combo meal with a 20-ounce drink and fries will cost $17.95 before taxes. On campus, that very same meal will cost you $11.88. These prices drive many students like 18-year-old Savannah Resendez to stay on campus to find their meals between classes.

“I go off campus once a month,” Resendez said. “I would rather eat here because it is cheaper than going across the street to one of those places.”

For those trying to be conscious of their spending, dining options at Mt. SAC is a more affordable alternative to fast food meals off campus. So instead of thinking with your stomach, think with your wallet when you decide what you’re going to eat.