Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Spring 2026 Meal Plan START Dates: meal swipes and dining dollars will be active starting January 22. Check the SBU Eats website for the most up-to-date hours.

Terminology

Where You Can Use Dining Dollars
- Dining Dollars can be used at all on-campus dining locations, including food trucks.
Rollover and Expiration
- Dining Dollars roll over from the fall semester to the spring semester.
- The final day to use Dining Dollars is Commencement Day of the spring semester.
- Any remaining balance after this date will be forfeited.
Paying with Dining Dollars at Dine-In
- When Dining Dollars are used at dine-in locations, guests are charged the door rate for the applicable meal period.
- Guests receive 10% off the dine-in door rate when paying with Dining Dollars.*
- Door rates vary by meal period. Spring 2026 dine-in door rates are available on the SBU Eats website.
*This discount applies to the Spring 2026 semester.
Where You Can Use Meal Swipes
- Meal swipes can be used at Dine-In Locations only (West Side Dine-In or East Side Dine-In).
Rollover and Expiration
- Meal Swipes do not roll over and expire at the end of each semester.
- Any remaining balance after this date will be forfeited.
Where You Can Use Guest Passes
- Guest passes can be used at Dine-In Locations only (West Side Dine-In or East Side Dine-In).
Rollover and Expiration
- Guest Passes do not roll over and expire at the end of each semester.
- Any remaining balance after this date will be forfeited.
How Do I Add Guest Passes to My Plan?
- Guest Passes are exclusive to the SBU Premium meal plan.
- Additional passes cannot be added to your meal plan.
Where You Can Use Meal Exchanges
- Meal exchanges can be used at the following Roth Cafe locations: Subway®, Smash n' Shake and Savor.
- Each Roth location has its own designated meal exchange menu option.
Rollover and Expiration
- Meal Exchanges do not roll over and expire at the end of each semester.
- Any remaining balance after this date will be forfeited.
How Do I Add Meal Exchanges to My Plan?
- Meal Exchanges are exclusive to the SBU Premium meal plan.
- Additional passes cannot be added to your meal plan.
How Many Meal Exchanges Can I Use?
- The SBU Premium Plan comes with 54 meal exchanges per semester.
- You may use up to two per day.

Meal Periods and Door Rates at Dine-In Locations

When using Dining Dollars to pay the door price at dine-in locations, you save 10%!*
*This discount applies to the Spring 2026 semester.

Spring 2026 Door Prices**
- Breakfast: $9.10
- Lunch/Brunch: $15.60
- Dinner: $16.65
- Late Night: $10.90
**Door Price: Guests who do not have meal swipes may pay the listed door price during each meal period. Dining Dollars, Wolfie Wallet, and Credit/Debit are accepted.

Meal Periods
- Breakfast (Mon - Fri): 7:30am to 10:59am
- Lunch (Mon - Fri): 11am to 3:59pm
- Brunch (Sat - Sun): 9am to 3:59pm
- Dinner (Mon - Fri): 4pm to 9:59pm
- Dinner (Sat - Sun): 4pm to 11pm
- Late Night (Mon - Fri): 10pm to midnight
*Meal periods subject to change.
2026-2027 Dine-In Door Prices*
- Breakfast: $10.46
- Lunch/Brunch: $17
- Dinner: $18.15
- Late Night: $11.88
*Door Price: Guests who do not have meal swipes may pay the listed door price during each meal period. Dining Dollars, Wolfie Wallet, and Credit/Debit are accepted.

Meal Periods*
- Breakfast (Mon - Fri): 7:30am to 10:59am
- Lunch (Mon - Fri): 11am to 3:59pm
- Brunch (Sat - Sun): 9am to 3:59pm
- Dinner (Mon - Fri): 4pm to 9:59pm
- Dinner (Sat - Sun): 4pm to 11pm
- Late Night (Mon - Fri): 10pm to midnight
*Hours subject to change.

Takeout Meals at Dine-In Locations

Take-Out Meals with SBU Eats Goes Green Containers

Reusable SBU EATS Goes Green take-out containers can be picked up at East or West Side Dine-In locations.

How it Works:

Let the cashier know you wish to use the takeout option upon entry to the dine-in location.
Fill your container with food from East or West Side Dine-In to take on the go. Once you have filled up your takeout container and beverage cup you are required to leave the dining location. Takeout meals are not to be eaten in the dining areas.
After you eat your meal, rinse your container of any leftover food.
Deposit your UNSANITIZED container in a SBU Eats Goes Green Bin located at East or West Side dine-in.
Pick up a SANITIZED container at the register at East or West Side dine-in when using a take-out swipe.

The first container is FREE. Additional containers can be purchased at the register of the Dine-In locations for $5 (Wolfie Wallet can be used).

Students on an unlimited meal plan can use two take-out meals per day.

Learn More

Meal Exchange

If you are on the Unlimited meal plan, you may use a Meal Exchange (up to two per day, 54 per semester) at the following Roth Cafe locations: Subway®, Smash n’ Shake, and Savor. Each location has a meal exchange menu option. Meal exchanges do not roll over. Any remaining meal exchanges are forfeited at the end of each semester.

Don't forget, you can always use your Dining Dollars or Wolfie Wallet funds anytime at Roth Cafe!

Yes. On the payment screen, press "Meal Exchange." Meal exchanges can only be used once per day* by students on the Unlimited meal plan. View the meal exchange menu options.

*Students on the Unlimited meal plan will have 54 meal exchanges per semester (students may use up to two per day). These meal exchanges do not rollover from fall to spring or spring to fall. Any remaining meal exchanges are forfeited at the end of each semester.

Requirements, Dietary Needs, Waivers, and Financial Aid

Resident students: Meal plan signup is completed in the housing selection portal.

Commuters, students living in an on-campus apartment and graduate students are not required to be on a meal plan but may choose from any resident plan, as well as a variety of plans designed especially for them.

View and sign up for a Commuter / Apartment Meal Plan.
New students are going through a transition, living away from home for the first time, making new friends, deciding on their book buying options, and learning to manage their time with classes, homework, and social activities. When new students are on a plan with “unlimited meals,” they don’t have to worry about budgeting Dining Dollars.
Any student living in a residence hall that is not a “cooking building” is required to select one of the resident meal plans offered by Campus Dining. This requirement has been in place for many years, and it was established to avoid health and safety issues in the residence halls.

The safety of our students is our number one concern. If students don’t have access to a proper dining facility, they may rely on cooking appliances in their residence hall rooms to prepare their meals. These appliances have been demonstrated to be fire hazards as they can overheat and cause fires, endangering the lives of our students.

Another main concern is sanitation. We would like students to live in the utmost sanitary conditions in the residence halls. The residence hall rooms do not have adequate facilities to prepare food in sanitary conditions and allow for proper cleanup, which may cause the presence of vermin as well as create insect infestations.

Although many buildings present cooking areas, these are meant for light cooking and are not fitted to withstand high traffic.
Buildings that require a meal plan:
- Amman
- Gray
- Irving
- O'Neil
- Benedict
- James
- Langmuir
- Lauterbur
- Hendrix
- Cardozo
- Chavez
- Tubman
- Whitman
- Douglas
- Dreiser
- Chinn
- Toscannini
- Dewey
- Baruch
- Eisenhower
- Schick
- Hamilton
- Stimson
- Keller
- Greeley
- Wagner
- Yang
Buildings with Cooking Rooms (some rooms in these buildings might require a meal plan):
- Gershwin
- Hand
Students living in an on-campus apartment are not required to have a meal plan. Those buildings include:
- Chapin
- West
- Schomburg
No, you will be placed on the same plan you selected in the fall. All meal plans selected are ANNUAL (fall and spring) agreements. Changes and cancellations must be made in writing to the ASA Services Office at mealplan@stonybrook.edu.
SBU Eats does its best to meet the needs of all their guests. If you have any special dietary concerns, please feel free to visit our Campus Dining Dietitian for a FREE consultation. To set up a virtual appointment please call (631) 632-9979 or visit the campus dining website.

For information regarding waivers and medical exemptions, please refer to the meal plan terms and conditions.

If you are a Jewish student or someone who keeps kosher and wants access to Delancey Street, please reach out to Jessica Lemons, Executive Director of Stony Brook Hillel, at jessica.lemons@stonybrook.edu

Using My Plan (sick trays, takeout meals, guests, etc.)

- Meal plans are loaded onto your Stony Brook University ID card, which works like a debit card to keep track of your meal plan funds.
- When you make a purchase at a dine-in or retail location, please hand the card to the cashier and they will deduct a meal swipe or dining dollars from your account as payment.
- Dine-in (all-you-care-to-eat) locations accept meal swipes and dining dollars and enable you to select entrees, sides, desserts, and beverages from any food platform within the location.
- Retail locations only accept dining dollars. All retail locations are à la carte.
Take-Out Meals with SBU Eats Goes Green Containers

Reusable SBU EATS Goes Green take-out containers can be picked up at East or West Side Dine-In locations.

How it Works:
1. Let the cashier know you wish to use the takeout option upon entry to the dine-in location.
2. Fill your container with food from East or West Side Dine-In to take on the go. Once you have filled up your takeout container and beverage cup you are required to leave the dining location. Takeout meals are not to be eaten in the dining areas.
3. After you eat your meal, rinse your container of any leftover food.
4. Deposit your UNSANITIZED container in a SBU Eats Goes Green Bin located at East or West Side dine-in.
5. Pick up a SANITIZED container at the register at East or West Side dine-in when using a take-out swipe.
The first container is FREE. Additional containers can be purchased at the register of the Dine-In locations for $5 (Wolfie Wallet can be used).

Students on an unlimited meal plan can use two take-out meals per day.

Learn More
If you are sick and cannot visit one of our dining locations, you can have a friend do it for you. Get a Sick Tray Form from your RA or RHD. Have the form completed and give it to a friend along with your ID card. Your friend will then be able to use your card to pick up a meal for you. Be sure the form is completed with all of the necessary signatures, or your card will be confiscated. This option is only available for short-term illnesses. If you need this service for a longer period of time, contact the ASA Services Office at 631-632-6517.
Unlimited meal plans include Guest Passes, which can be used to swipe in a friend or visiting family member.

Guest passes may be used at Meal Swipe (Dine-In) locations only.

Guest passes do not roll over and expire at the end of each semester.

Guest passes cannot be added to your meal plan.

If you run out of guest passes, you or your guest may pay for their meal at any dining location using a credit or debit card.
If your card shows an error, stop by the ASA Student Services team located in the SBU Campus Store, and we’ll help get it fixed. In the meantime, the SBU Eats team at East Side and West Side Dine-Ins will never turn away a hungry student.

Managing My Account (changing plans, adding funds, lost cards, etc.)

Download the GET mobile app* on the Apple App Store or Google Play to add funds to your meal plan or Wolfie Wallet account, check your balance, view your transaction history, and report a lost or stolen card at any time, day or night. Log in using your Stony Brook University NetID and NetID password.
Downgrades can be made during the two weeks following the first day Monday-Friday classes begin. Upgrades can be made anytime throughout the semester. Please note that during the first 2 weeks of the semester, downgrade requests made Saturday through Thursday will take effect the following Friday.

The credit will be posted to your Student Account (able to be viewed in SOLAR under Student Financial Services).
Withdrawing from the University

Students who withdraw from the University will be billed a prorated portion of the meal plan up to, and including, the official withdrawal date. Pro-rations are calculated on a weekly basis.

Students who wish to cancel their meal plan because they have moved off-campus or to a cooking building/area in the Residence Halls must notify the Meal Plan Office either in writing to: mealplan@stonybrook.edu or in person during office hours Monday through Friday, 8:00am to 5:00pm at Auxiliary Services Association (ASA) Services Hub, SBU Campus Store (Melville Library, Lower Level), Stony Brook, New York 11794-3395.

Campus Housing and Meal Plan

If you are a resident, you must contact and return your key to your Area Office within 48 hours of withdrawing. You are not permitted to remain in campus housing more than 48 hours after your withdrawal/leave of absence has been processed.

Housing charges and meal plan charges (for students in a room which requires the meal plan) will be prorated based upon the date your key is officially returned and all belongings are removed. No pro ration will be applied if your move-out is after the last day of classes (day before reading day). If you are hospitalized and/or your medical issue prevents you from coming to campus to return your key, please contact the Dean of Students Office at (631) 632-7320 for assistance.

If you participate in a meal plan that is not mandatory, please cancel your plan by contacting the Meal Plan Office at (631) 632-6517 after you move out. Your meal plan charge will be prorated based on the number of weeks the plan was active and the dollar amount used. Return to housing is prioritized on a space-available basis only if you receive an approved medical leave or military leave and return to housing on your first academic semester back from leave. Housing is not guaranteed or prioritized for any other type of leave.

There is an undergraduate semester withdrawal form.

Undergraduate Semester Withdrawal - (University Withdrawal, Leave of Absence-LOA, or Medical Leave)
Meal Swipes cannot be added to a meal plan, however, you may use Dining Dollars at Meal Swipe locations should you run out of swipes, or upgrade to an unlimited meal plan.

If you are a resident student who is concerned about running out of meal swipes, we recommend upgrading to an unlimited meal plan. You may upgrade at any time during the semester.
Dining Dollars roll over from Summer to Fall, Fall to Winter or Spring, but not to Summer or the following academic year (Spring to Fall). The last day to use Dining Dollars is Spring Commencement. Remaining balances are forfeited.

Meal Swipes, Guest Passes and Block Meals do NOT rollover from semester to semester.

Guest Meal Swipes may only be used at Meal Swipe (Dine-In) locations and are only available to students on an unlimited plan.
Lost Cards

If you lost your ID card, please visit the Stony Brook University Campus Card Office at the Stony Brook Union, Suite 207.

To safeguard students’ meal plan accounts, cashiers are not permitted to key in ID numbers without a photo ID. Lost cards must be replaced within 72 hours.

To prevent others from obtaining meals and charging them against a student’s account, lost ID cards must be immediately reported via the GET Mobile website or app.

How To Report a Card Lost on the GET Mobile website or mobile app:
- Log in to GET Mobile using your NET ID and NET Password
- On a desktop device: in the Quick Links menu on the right of the page, click "I lost my card" and follow the prompts
- On a mobile device: in the Quick Links menu towards the bottom of the page, click "I lost my card" and follow the prompts
- On the GET Mobile app: tap Settings in the bottom menu and click "Report card as lost" and follow the prompts
NOTE: When you report your card lost, it will put a hold on all of your accounts (Meal Plan and Wolfie Wallet).

Replacing Lost, Stolen or Damaged Campus ID Cards

In the event you need to replace your student ID card, please contact the Campus Card office.

If your ID card is lost, damaged, or no longer functions and is less than four years old, a $25 replacement fee will apply. Please note that this fee will apply to cards that do not appear visibly damaged, as the Campus Card Office cannot attest to what stresses were placed on the card that caused it to malfunction. Our ID cards are designed to last at least four years under normal use and conditions.

There will be no charge for a new ID card related to the following:
- A name change
- A title change
- The first ID card issued
- A replacement for an expired ID card related to employment

Wolfie Wallet

No. Wolfie Wallet is a campus prepaid declining balance debit account encoded on your campus ID. It is a safe and convenient way to make food purchases from on- and off-campus merchants, make purchases from campus stores and vending machines, mail packages in the residential mailroom, and utilize print and copy services.

To learn more about Wolfie Wallet and to add funds to your card, visit stonybrook.edu/wolfiewallet

Sustainability

Waste reduction requires a commitment from both Campus Dining and the students. As a campus community, we need to raise awareness, improve processes, and measure the impact. It requires a combination of working with suppliers, managing the kitchen, and making appropriate portions available so that less food is discarded. Reducing food waste with better portion control and improved meal forecasting prevents waste before it ever happens. This process, source reduction, is cited by the Environmental Protection Agency Food Recovery Hierarchy as the best way to prevent wasted food because these actions create the most benefit for the environment, society and economy.

Learn more about dining sustainability.