Where to Use Your Meal Plan Swipe
By: Hannah Skinner ‘23
Fall 2021 has brought many new changes to campus, one of these being the meal plan swipes! On top of the three residential dining halls, there are now other on-campus options for those with a meal plan - like some restaurants at TCC. So if you are looking to dine somewhere that is not a dining hall without spending coveted dining dollars, take a look at this list so find some of my favorite options!
These past few weeks I have set out to venture around campus and use my meal swipes in the various campus cafes and restaurants. I tried what is offered at the Tutor Campus Center, and I have tried some cafes that I have never even gone to in my three years at USC. Using the campus dining app as my guide, I looked through the menus and was pleasantly surprised to see how many meal swipe options there were. (If you don’t have the Campus Dining App yet, I highly recommend you download it). Let’s now review everything that I tried…
Açaí Bowls
(C&G Juice Co and Popovich Cafe)
The very popular açaí bowl is offered in two locations on campus. I’m not sure that one is better since they taste the same, but they still have pros and cons. The bowl at C&G Juice Co was a bigger size with more açaí but it had less fruit than Popovich. The Popovich bowl was wider, so less messy to eat from than the narrow cup, and it had a lid - super convenient!
Açaí bowl from C&G Juice Co
Açaí bowl from Popovich Cafe
Pesto Grilled Cheese Melt and Soup
(Popovich Cafe)
I really enjoyed the soup - it had vegetables and beans. It was nice and warm and would be great on a winter day! The grilled cheese was a bit less warm and very buttery but paired nicely with the soup. This was a solid vegetarian option and a filling meal.
Tuna Sandwich
(Popovich Cafe)
If you want some refreshing cold tuna, try this out! Unlike the tuna sandwich from Seeds, this one had lettuce and tomato in it. Extra points for not being too bready.
Breakfast Burrito
(Seeds)
The seeds breakfast burrito is my favorite breakfast offered on campus. They have sausage, bacon, veggie, or just egg & cheese and all have green onion and potato. I have tried them all and equally enjoyed them. It is so easy to walk into Seeds before class, grab the breakfast burrito, and be on your way!
Chicken Bowl
(Verde TCC)
You can never go wrong with a Verde bowl. They are massive and hard for me to finish, but I somehow manage. Level it up and turn your bowl into a burrito. I personally like to order mine with refried beans, chicken, and fajita veggies, but all the customizations make ordering and eating at Verde fun.
Green Goddess Chicken Sandwich and Single Crush
(Burger Crush TCC)
These two sandwiches are similar, except for the chicken or beef. I like the Green Goddess Sandwich because the chicken is thinner than the Grilled Chicken Crush, but this is just a personal preference. The Single Crush - a regular beef patty burger - is a classic! You can order your sandwich with the sweet Caramelized Onion Jam or alternatively the savory and creamy Garlic Aioli (my favorite sauce).
Green Goddess Chicken Sandwich from Burger Crush
Single Crush from Burger Crush
Chicken Bibimbap Bowl
(Fertitta at the Marshall School of Business)
Your reward for making it to the end is getting to know my favorite meal swipe meal! This is none other than the Chicken Bibimbap (or mixed rice) Bowl. I never knew that campus had Bibimbap until 1 week ago, but I am so glad that I now know. This bowl came with zucchini, carrots, kimchi, rolled egg, gochujang sauce, and was sprinkled with Nori Komi. It was warm, tasty, spicy, and filling. Also it seems relatively healthy, and had perfect proportions of all the ingredients. Make sure you mix it well before eating!
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