Bri Nitsberg | Managing Photo Editor

When WashU responded to the cries of hungry students with a new “All You Care to Eat” program in Bear’s Den (BD), two investigative journalists hunkered down in a booth and got to the bottom of it. The bottom of the piles of food on our many plates, that is.

That’s how we found ourselves sitting under the blue BD lights on a Friday evening, catfish, chocolate cake, and tuna salad sandwiches piled up in front of us.

Let’s rewind a bit to when we wandered into BD, which had transformed into a utopia for grubby little goblins such as us. It was like a Harry Potter feast scene.

On a typical day, the first step of BD’s All You Care to Eat (AYCTE) program is to stand in line and wait to receive a meal card. Luckily for us, arriving before 6 p.m. meant we didn’t wait at all. If anything, BD seemed a bit desolate.

In another moment of good luck, we quickly realized we had arrived on an AYCTE deal day. We paid $10.99 instead of the usual $14.99, making the meal comparable to or less expensive than a typical meal on campus.

As we wandered into the food area, we saw that the usual food stations had turned into grab-and-go, with seemingly no limit on how much you could take — except for the fruit, of which you are limited to two pieces. 

There also seemed to be no limit on how many plates you could take; it’s possible that we broke a rule by taking 2-3 plates each. In fact, by the end of our experience, we were frustrated with having too much food to hold. 

The options are vast: On the Friday we went, it ranged from fruit to pasta to catfish to pizza and more. No longer do you have to plan your portions in accordance with your meal-points budget — by the end of your walk of shame through BD, you will definitely have enough food. 

As we walked from station to station, the options themselves didn’t seem too different from the typical BD menu: pasta, salad, kosher and halal options, pizza, etc. There was the addition of a dessert table, though.

The system — partially self-serve, partially not — worked easily for us, but because of the free reign that students have, we can definitely see it getting a bit chaotic when more people are there. 

Bri Nitsberg | Managing Photo Editor

After we loaded our plates full of as many types of food as we could –- to really get a broad understanding of the food choices — we made it to the booth. The food itself was, overall, decent. (Zach felt that his apple was okay: “It was a bit mealy. The tuna fish sandwich was good.”)

The desire for larger portions seems to be the impetus for the AYCTE program, along with an effort from Dining Services to experiment with different dining options. We’d say AYCTE satisfied these needs.

It is worth noting that we are both on the Apartment Meal Plan and meal-point deprived (feel free to donate meal points). If BD was not a country mile away from us, we would definitely be frequenting the AYCTE program more often.

So, there we were, full and satisfied after our swath of food had washed over us. We were ready for round two.

Actually, no we were not. We did not do round two because we were too full from round one. Here is a vote of confidence from us, two chaps (well, chap and chapette) who love to eat: You get a ton of food here. The food itself was, unfortunately, not the best, but that is okay. It’s about as good as BD usually is. And we are sure they are still ironing out some kinks in the AYCTE system. 

Since we are both upperclassmen who live off campus, it does not seem fair to fully weigh in on whether AYCTE is better for underclassmen who live on the 40. We will say, though, that the quantity of food you get in this system may make it more economically sound, especially with the deal they had going on, and even with their normal prices. 

And we’re excited to see WashU try out a new dining program! We’ve watched, over the past few years, as dining has changed, and we’ve learned that there will never be a time where every student is satisfied with their options. 

Whether AYCTE becomes a permanent program at BD, spreads to other dining locations, or is obliterated from WashU forever, experimenting with options and responding to student needs for larger portions is a positive step forward for WashU dining.  

Will we be coming back to AYCTE? We’re pretty much out of meal points, so probably not. Would we recommend it to a 40-dweller? Sure! That’s partly because it’s the only option on weekdays, and partly because you’ll be satiated — and, most importantly, if you’re like us, you’ll probably have fun. 

Bri Nitsberg | Managing Photo Editor