- EligibilityaddMeal plans are included in the Residence Hall (“room and board”) contract rate for students living in the residence halls. Students with a Residence Hall contract are automatically enrolled in the Blue Plan. Upgrade options are available to be selected at the time you accept your housing offer and make your initial contract payment, and at any time during the academic year by contacting the Cal Housing office via email at reshall@berkeley.edu. Meal plans begin on the Sunday prior to when fall semester instruction begins, and end on the last Sunday of the spring semester. Meal plans will remain active for the full academic year. Meal plans include a combination of meal swipes and flex dollars. Meal swipes are for use in the dining commons or as a “meal equivalency” swipe at The Golden Bear Café or Brown’s (Temporarily closed for 2020–2021). Flex dollars may be used at campus restaurants, convenience stores, concession stands, and to pay for guest meals at a discount from the cash price in the dining commons. You can also use your flex dollars at the dining commons if you run out of meal swipes for the week. Each week a specific number of meal swipes are available for use. Any unused meal swipes expire on Saturday at midnight each week, and reset for the upcoming week. Meal swipes are non-transferrable. Flex dollars work on a declining balance basis, with half the flex dollars available for each semester. Up to 100 flex dollars roll over from fall semester to spring semester. Flex dollars will not roll over into summer session, or from academic year to academic year. Any flex dollars not used by the last day of the spring semester will be forfeited. Flex dollars function like cash dollars—1 flex dollar has the purchasing power of $1. For example, a purchase of $2.01 would cost 2.01 flex dollars. Flex dollars cannot be refunded, transferred to another meal plan holder, or canceled.
- Meal PlansaddThree meal plans are available for students who live in the residence halls:
- Blue Plan: Provides 12 meal swipes per week in the dining commons, one only per meal period, and 600 flex dollars to use within the academic year (300 per semester). This plan is automatically included in the Residence Hall contract and fees.
- Gold Plan: Provides 10 meal swipes per week in the dining commons, one only per meal period, and 1000 flex dollars to use within the academic year (500 per semester). Upgrade for $350 per academic year ($175 per semester).
- Ultimate Plan: Provides unlimited meal swipes per week, during all meal periods in the dining commons, and 1000 flex dollars to use within the academic year (500 per semester). Upgrade for $950 per academic year ($475 per semester).
- Meal Plan ChangesaddStudents living in the residence halls may change their meal plan at the beginning of the fall semester through September 7, 2020, or from November 29, 2020, to January 22, 2021, for the spring semester. Changes to meal plans must be made by filling this form. No other meal plan change requests will be approved outside of the official change period. At any time during the academic year, students in the residence halls may upgrade their meal plan from the Blue Plan to the Gold Plan for the additional cost of $175 per semester, from the Blue Plan to the Ultimate Plan for $475 per semester, or from the Gold Plan to the Ultimate Plan for $300 per semester. Upgrades to meal plans must be made by contacting the Cal Housing office via email at reshall@berkeley.edu. Please note that the upgrade fee cannot be prorated.
- Meal Plan CancellationsaddStudents living in the residence halls are required to have a meal plan, and may not cancel their meal plan for any reason. UC Berkeley has a combined room and board program and does not separate the cost of the meal plan from room fees.
- Dining LocationsaddMeal swipes may be used for breakfast, lunch/brunch, or dinner in the four dining commons: Café 3, Clark Kerr, Crossroads, and Foothill*. It can also be used as a “meal equivalency” swipe at The Golden Bear Café or Brown’s* (Temporarily closed for 2020–2021.). Flex dollars may be used at the following locations:
- Dining Commons: Café 3, Clark Kerr, Crossroads, and Foothill*
- Convenience Stores: Bear Market, CKCub, The Den, and Cub Market*
- Campus Restaurants: Brown's*, Common Grounds*, Terrace Café*, The Golden Bear Café, and The Pro Shop at RSF*
- Select Concession Stands: California Memorial Stadium, Edwards Track, Evans Diamond, Haas Pavilion, Levine-Fricke Field, Witter Rugby Field, and other concessions during Cal Athletics events. Look for the “Meal plan flex dollars accepted here” signs.
- Payments for UpgradesaddYou may upgrade your meal plan at any time during the academic year by contacting the Cal Housing office via email at reshall@berkeley.edu. Once it’s approved, it will be immediately activated. Payment will be due after 30 days, and appear on your CalCentral Account. It’s the student's responsibility to ensure payments are received at Campus Billing & Payment Services, 140 University Hall, on time, or be subject to late fines and other sanctions. Fees will also be assessed for any returned checks, and will be charged to your CalCentral Account statement. Should an account become delinquent, action will be taken to collect on any outstanding debt. To prevent such sanctions, contact the Cal Central Office prior to the 15th of the payment month.
- Meal Plan Service DatesaddMeals plans for fall 2020 will begin on Sunday, August 23, 2020. There will be no service during Thanksgiving Break from Thursday, November 26, 2020, through Saturday, November 28, 2020, and will resume on Sunday, November 29, 2020. Meal plan service for fall 2020 will end on Friday, December 18, 2020. Meal plans for spring 2021 will begin on Thursday, January 14, 2021. There will be no service during Spring Break from Sunday, March 21, 2021, through Saturday, March 27, 2021, and will resume on Sunday, March 28, 2021. Meal plans will end on Saturday, May 15, 2021. Cal Dining locations may have special hours or close for holidays. Please note in the case of an emergency campus closure, advance notice may not be provided. Please view the Cal Dining Hours of Operation for up-to-date information.
- Period of ContractaddFall and spring semester dates as defined in the official University academic calendar shall constitute the period of the Blue Plan, Gold Plan, or Ultimate Plan contract, except for campus closure periods. Please view the UC Berkeley academic calendar for up-to-date information.
- Cal 1 CardaddCal Dining uses the Cal 1 Card to manage meal plan utilization. The Cal 1 Card is encoded for the appropriate meal plan specified on the Cal 1 Card holders’ account. Students must show a valid Cal 1 Card at every meal, as meal plan access is by Cal 1 Card swipe only. Cal 1 Cards and privileges are non-transferable. In the absence of the Cal 1 Card, meals may be purchased with cash, credit, or debit at the general public price. The Cal 1 Card is valuable and should be protected accordingly. You are solely responsible for immediately reporting/deactivating a lost or stolen Cal 1 Card. The most effective way to do so is online by logging into your account (cal1card.berkeley.edu/login). If you do not have access to the internet when your card is lost or stolen, reports can be made in person at the Cal 1 Card Office or by calling 1.866.2UCBCARD. Once the card is reported missing, you assume no further liability for unauthorized use. A $35 non-refundable replacement fee will be assessed to your student billing account. If your card was stolen and you filed a police report for the incident, the replacement fee will be waived by presenting the corresponding police report when requesting the replacement card. Replacement cards are only issued to students with a current registration status in the applicable academic term. NOTE: If you are a student and you withdraw from classes, the Cal 1 Card cannot be replaced if you lose it, and you will not be able to use your meal plan.
- Special DietsaddCal Dining makes every effort to identify ingredients that may trigger more well-known allergic or other adverse reactions for individuals with food allergies or intolerance. Our staff is trained and educated on food allergies and gluten-free diets on an ongoing basis, and they ensure that items marked gluten friendly are made without gluten-containing ingredients. However, due to the volume of meals served and items used each day, along with food product changes from our vendors, we cannot guarantee that every allergen or gluten source in the food served will be identified and labeled. There is a small possibility that, without notice to us, manufacturers of the commercial foods we use can change the formulation at any time. Cross contact may also occur despite our best efforts to prevent it. Customers concerned with food allergens and gluten must be aware of these risks. Cal Dining cannot assume any liability for adverse reactions to food consumed, or items one may come in contact with while eating at any Cal Dining facility or catered event. Customers with life-threatening food allergies who may need to use an EpiPen should be carrying their own at all times. Cal Dining staff is not trained to administer EpiPens and cannot provide or administer them. Cal Dining strives to provide a variety of meal options, including vegetarian and vegan selections. Although not guaranteed, special diets can generally be accommodated within our regular offerings. Students living in the residence halls are encouraged to meet with our registered dietitian to discuss any special dietary concerns or food allergies by emailing dietitian@berkeley.edu.