The food on Washington University’s campus has never been anything to sneer at, and that's been especially true of late. Earlier this year, ratings giants Princeton Review and U.S. News and World Report both singled out the St. Louis university as having some of the best grub in the game, naming it No. 5 in the U.S. and No. 11 respectively.
And now students are going to be met with even more culinary extravagance (eyeing that No. 1 spot, Andrew Martin?) — as Wash U adds some top local restaurants to its dining services this fall.
Coffeestamp is already serving its empanadas at a coffee spot on campus, while Beast Craft BBQ, Collins Farm, Corner 17 and the Fattened Caf all opening in various campus locations.
Fattened Caf, a beloved local Filipino barbecue brand, has been sharing sneak peek posts on Instagram this week of its new space in the Bytes Cafe in McKelvey Hall, the engineering building. It’s a single-counter kiosk with a spot for grab-and-go items as well as a display case, presumably for prepared foods. There is also a small seating section.
“Stepping into this with arms stretched out and hands ready to receive what comes. Wash U, Filipino BBQ is coming for you,” the restaurant wrote. In a different post, it said the cafe would be serving “chicken BBQ, Smoked Longganisa, Pork Belly Sisig, Chicken Tocino and mooooorrrreeee. 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM all this week.”
In a Wash U newsroom article from July 25, Shantay N. Bolton, executive vice chancellor for administration and chief administration officer, said the move to include local restaurants was about providing superior dining options and supporting local businesses, especially those that are minority and women-owned.
Every one of the new restaurants will accept Wash U’s meal plan points, Bear Bucks. The university requires that students who are living in Wash U housing or enrolled in 12 or more hours of courses purchase a meal plan, which has options that cost from $3,795 to $702 a year. Freshman must purchase a level of at least bronze, at $2,509.
So many students will have plenty of funds to spend at these new spots, which is all the better for our homegrown restaurants.
That said, we can’t help be a little unsure about this Wash U food reality. On one hand, supporting local restaurants is amazing. On the other hand, it’s pretty bougie, and if students don’t even have to walk to the Loop to get their Corner 17 fix, we shudder to think about what will happen to the Wash U bubble. It’s about to get a lot smaller.
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