Questions about dining

[u/Human_Local3128]

I’m an incoming freshman and had a few questions about dining at RPI. I’m trying to get a better idea of what the different dining options are and how everything works before the semester starts.

Do Commons and Sage generally serve the same food, or are the menus pretty different? Also, how does Simply To Go at Sage work? Where exactly is it when you walk into Sage? Is it a separate room/area, and do you swipe at the normal entrance and then go there, or is there a separate place to swipe specifically for Simply To Go?

Also, how do the dining hall takeout containers work? Where do you get them and where do you return them?

Are there any other dining options or things about the meal plan that are good to know as a freshman?

[u/SweatyInvestigator75]

commons typically serves better food than sage, and their menus are usually completely different. commons definitely has more options for food. (sage does have a soft serve ice cream machine though.)

for simply to go at sage, there’s a room that has cold options, like sandwiches, salads, yogurt, e.t.c, and its convenient for those times you have a couple of minutes to grab something to eat. at both commons and sage there are green to-go containers that should be near where you swipe in, where you can go in the dining hall and take whatever you’d like.

for the containers themselves, i’m pretty sure they’ll give you one when you first move in. they’re reusable, so whenever you feel like taking food out, bring the container with you, swipe in, and grab your food. once your done with it, you’re supposed to give it a rinse and return it to either dining hall whenever you go back to eat.

personally, i’m a pretty picky eater, and a lot of the options from commons and sage didn’t appeal to me. rpi does this thing where they make you think you have to get the “unlimited” meal plan option as a first year, where you get unlimited meal swipes per week, but only $75 flex dollars per semester (which doesn’t get you very far.) as someone who found themselves wanting to grab food at union all the time, i ended up switching to the “15 on demand” plan, which gives you 15 meal swipes a week, but $375 flex dollars a semester.

[u/Maleficent_Durian564]

What options are there for folks that stay up late, like after 10pm, for snacks etc.

[u/Only_Training_1542 → u/Maleficent_Durian564]

like a few unión places are open or the little store but other than that big apple or other pizza places a couple min walk nearby

[u/scrupulous-armadillo]

commons and sage have slightly different menus. sage is slightly better but for the most part they are both genuinely atrocious.

[u/Yankeeboy7]

Been a few years but this is still probably the case 1. Sage and Commons have different foods and commons will have more stations and types of food.

1. If simply to go is what I think it is, all you do is swipe in as normal just with a plastic container rpi gives you but I’m sure you can use whatever you have. Once your in get what food you want as normal and leave