A full menu does not mean a full stomach
UTM offers everything from burgers to sushi, but when prices climb and quality disappoints, how much choice do students really have?

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It’s noon. You’ve just finished a two-hour lecture, your stomach is growling, and you have another class in an hour. You walk into the food court, stare at the menus, check the prices, and suddenly remember that you’re not that hungry.

Sound familiar? As a fourth-year student at the University of Toronto Mississauga (UTM), I’ve spent enough time on campus to know that finding food isn’t particularly difficult. But, finding food that’s affordable, satisfying, and actually worth the money? That’s another story. To give UTM some credit, our campus doesn’t lack variety. We have burgers, Thai food, pasta, Korean and Japanese cuisines, cafés, and plenty of other options for people with halal, vegan, and vegetarian preferences. Compared to a campus where students must choose between a sandwich and another sandwich, we’re doing pretty well.

But here’s my question: what’s the point of having so many choices if students can’t afford to enjoy them? My biggest complaint isn’t necessarily the selection, it’s the relationship between price and quality.

Take Oscar Peterson Hall (OPH). I’ve eaten there, and frankly, I sometimes wonder whether the people preparing the food have tasted what they’re serving. I don’t expect Michelin-star dining from a university cafeteria. I don’t need a beautifully plated entrée or a chef explaining the inspiration behind my lunch. I just want food that’s properly cooked, tastes decent, and doesn’t make me regret spending money on it.

Apparently, that’s too much to ask. Of course, taste is subjective. Someone might genuinely enjoy a meal I’d never order again. But when students pay a substantial amount for cafeteria food, expecting basic quality shouldn’t be considered demanding.

Ironically, Starbucks is one of the few places where I generally know what I’m paying for. It’s not cheap, but at least the quality is consistent. Yet even that comes with complications. With ongoing boycott campaigns targeting brands such as Starbucks and Tim Hortons, students increasingly face another dilemma when deciding where to eat. It’s not just a question of can I afford this?, but do I want my money supporting this company?

Students participate in boycotts for different reasons, and these campaigns involve claims and controversies that deserve careful examination. Still, the larger issue remains: students who want to avoid certain brands need practical alternatives. And alternatives shouldn’t automatically mean paying more. Fair-trade coffee, ethically sourced products, and independent food businesses can offer students a range of purchasing choices. But when those options come with higher prices, ethical consumption starts looking like another privilege reserved for students with disposable income.

Why should students have to choose between their financial circumstances and their values? This is where UTM’s food culture becomes more than a complaint about overpriced lunch. A campus can advertise ten different food outlets and still fail to meet students’ needs. A vegetarian student, someone observing religious dietary requirements, or someone managing food allergies doesn’t necessarily benefit from every restaurant on that list. Neither does a student whose budget barely covers groceries, let alone regularly purchasing meals on campus.

Even operating hours matter. Hunger doesn’t conveniently disappear when a food outlet closes. And for students experiencing food insecurity, the question isn’t whether they prefer pasta or a burger. It’s whether they can afford either. Other Ontario universities demonstrate that affordability doesn’t have to remain an afterthought.

Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), for example, offers its Friend Fiver, a $4.99 daily special at the Hub Café. University funding helped maintain that price during the 2025-26 academic year despite rising food costs.

TMU also operates a Free Food Project, providing students with meals during examination periods, including options accommodating several dietary needs. Its student union runs the Good Food Centre, supporting students experiencing food insecurity by providing essential grocery items.

These programs aren’t a perfect solution to chronic insecurity, and UTM has its own food-support resources. But they demonstrate something important. Universities can actively intervene to make eating more affordable, not just diverse. UTM’s administration should be asking what more it can do. Could we introduce genuinely affordable daily meals? Provide better support for independent or boycott-friendly vendors? Expand reasonably priced dietary options? Improve quality control at existing cafeterias? Extend access to food for students with evening classes?

None of these suggestions requires reinventing campus dining. They require that food be treated as an essential part of student life rather than another opportunity to sell students something. I understand that food costs money. Ingredients, labour, and operations aren’t free. I’m not demanding that every restaurant sell gourmet meals for five dollars. But students aren’t asking for luxury. We’re asking for value, accessibility, and the ability to eat without constantly calculating whether lunch fits into our budgets. Universities regularly emphasize student well-being, academic success, and the creation of an inclusive campus environment that is culturally responsive. Those commitments sound wonderful in promotional materials.

But it’s difficult to concentrate on a lecture when you’re hungry. It’s difficult to feel included when the available options don’t accommodate your needs. And it’s difficult to enjoy campus life when buying lunch feels like a financial decision you might regret.

UTM doesn’t need another restaurant just to lengthen its dining directory. It needs to make the restaurants we already have worth eating at and affordable for more students. 

Because having food on campus isn’t the same as making sure students can eat.

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