News

State Street meal plan

State Street will have its own meal plan for students in the fall.

Off Campus Access Inc., a three-year-old meal plan corporation based in Virginia, is coming to Madison this summer to offer the meal plan. The corporation is recruiting solely State Street restaurants for its meal options, with choices like State Street Brats, Tutto Pasta and Ian’s Pizza.

The meal plan works like a debit card, with discounts that consist of deals on specific food items in one of the participating restaurants once a week; a different participating restaurant offers the discount every week. For example, for one week Subway offered free chips and a drink with the purchase of a sub at some universities.

Meal plan Vice President Brandon Lloyd said corporate staff decided to come to Madison after their market research indicated parents and students in the area wanted more meal plan options.

“Madison is a great college town, and students and parents who went to Wisconsin said they needed new options outside the traditional meal plans,” Lloyd said.

He said there are 18 State Street restaurants in the plan now, and sales people are currently discussing the plan with 15 or 16 additional restaurant owners.

“We add restaurants consistently, and in this size market there will be close to 30 restaurants involved before the plan even begins,” Lloyd said.

He said all students would receive direct mail about the program before school begins again.

Off-campus Access Inc. began in 2000 and is now spreading throughout the Midwest, according to Lloyd. The corporation currently serves the University of Tennessee, University of South Carolina and Towson University in Maryland.

“The idea started with the idea of giving students more options because meal plans were becoming so restricted,” Lloyd said, explaining that the plan allows students to eat out according to their personal schedule. “Students love eating at restaurants.”