Dining in Residence No need to raid the fridge, race to your residence dining hall! Eight of our first-year buildings have a dining hall, and in your upper years, you can still sign up for a meal plan and eat in a nearby dining hall, to help take the pressure off cooking with your busy schedule. Your Western ONEcard is your meal plan, your student ID, and your key to everything! This card will automatically be loaded with your meal plan, and it works on a declining balance system. You’ll have the flexibility to select whatever items you want to eat, and then to pay, simply swipe your ONEcard and the total cost of your items is deducted from your funds. Money leftover after your first year? Not to worry, it carries over! You can also top up your meal plan funds online if you run out. Top Up Your Meal Plan Residence Meal Plan Flexibility with Your Food In residence, you won't be limited to a fixed number of meals a day, you’ll have the flexibility to choose whatever foods you fancy whenever we're open! Our plans run on a declining balance system, meaning that when you buy food, the purchase amount will be deducted from the balance on your Western ONEcard. Whether your meal plan covers all of your meals for the academic year very much depends on your eating habits and budgeting. For full residence costs, including meal plan options, view our Fees and Payment page. Top Up, Carryover and Refunds If you run out of funds before the end of the year, you can reload your card online, at any time. Please note that this online process allows you to add flex dollars only; however, flex dollars are transferred automatically in $50 increments once your residence dollars are depleted. RELOAD YOUR MEAl PLAN The meal plan for students living in first-year buildings is mandatory (with the exception of Lambton Hall), but don't worry, if you have money left over it carries over and turns into a Campus Meal Plan that you can continue using in your upper years at Western. You can also request a refund of your Residence Dollars if a request is submitted by the deadline. Top Up, Carryover and Refunds Overhead Fee The overhead fee is used to maintain and operate the dining halls. This includes labour, capital costs, equipment, etc. There is no food credit value to the overhead fee and it is non-refundable. Food Credit The food credit portion of the meal plan is just that; the money you get to spend on grub. There are two types of food credit: Residence Dollars and Flex Dollars. Residence Dollars Residence Dollars can be used in any Residence dining hall, no matter what building you live in as well as at on-campus eateries. The cost of food purchased in the Residence dining halls is reduced and tax-exempt to reflect the overhead that has been paid. Flex Dollars Flex Dollars can be used to purchase on-campus confection purchases (such as at vending machines) and at our meal plan partner restaurants found both on- and off-campus. Off-campus flex purchases are subject to full retail prices plus applicable taxes. Dietary Accommodation and Menus Our menus run on a multi-week cycle so you'll get new options on the regular. If you're vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal, or want just want to improve your dietary habits, we provide a balance. Allergies? We've got you covered. Our items are labelled and you can set up a meeting with our Registered Dietitian to discuss navigating dietary options on campus. For more information on dining in Residence, including the hours of operation, click here.