Dining at Western Illinois University

The dining plan at Western Illinois University is one of the most cutting-edge programs in the country. Students at WIU pay for what they eat. They do not subsidize other students' meal programs and they do not pay for missed meals.

Because our program is consumer driven, our dining staff members plan for and respond to trends in student dining. Our students have a variety of hot meals to choose from and many opportunities to purchase the prepackaged foods they are accustomed to having at home. Our dining program requires that our students budget their own purchasing power and remain conscious of the costs associated with their dining.

Residence Hall Dining Centers

Good atmosphere, tasty food, and a fair price. This is the goal of Western Illinois University Dining Services managed by Sodexo Campus Services. We've designed the dining plans to be flexible and meet the demands of a busy students' schedule.

We offer flexible dining hours, convenient locations, and a variety of services. Academic life is difficult enough without having to worry about where to get your next meal. Let us make life a little easier. We provide an extensive variety of quality menu items and exceptional customer service to students. We look forward to serving you! And don't forget to ask about our weekly specials!

University Union Dining Options

Our University Union is a central meeting point for our students and faculty due to its location and its abundant resources. This makes the Union one of the busiest dining spots on campus. We have meet this challenge with a wide range of dining options, menus and times including:

Burger King
Sbarro
Wi Amigos
Starbucks
1864 Bistro
One Stop Rocky Shop

Basic A la Carte Meal Plan

All residents buy into the Basic A la Carte Plan. This plan is for a light eater, and does not guarantee 21 meals a week. If additional purchasing power is needed, students can either purchase one of our optional plans initially or add purchasing power to their plan anytime throughout the semester. There is no overhead taken from additional purchasing power.

How do Dining Plans Work?

Get the details of WIU's declining balance system at Sodexo's website.

Optional Meal Plans

Adding Option 1 to the A la Carte plan provides $50 more in purchasing power during the semester. Students who occasionally dine in the University Union, visit residence hall C-stores and eat regular meals throughout the week and on the weekends might need Option 1.
Adding Option 2 to the A la Carte plan provides $200 more in purchasing power. Students who enjoy eating in retail locations (University Union Food Court) or taking prepackaged food to their rooms, and students who frequently supplement their meals with snacks or special coffees may need Option 2.

Flex Plan

Students who live on campus can establish a Flex Plan account in addition to their dining account. The Flex Plan allows residents to use their IDs at vending machines that have card swipes, laundry facilities that have card readers, copy centers and the University Union Food Court.

The Flex Plan also provides the off-campus students with a variety of dining options. Off-campus students can use the Flex Plan in the residence halls, University Union Food Court, copy centers and vending machines with card swipes. Students who use Flex Plans in the residence hall dining centers pay an additional 40 percent mark-up at the point of purchase to cover their overhead expenses.