The Cowl

by Rachel Barter ’27 on September 24, 2026

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In the spring semester last year, I wrote an article about how PC’s meal swipe options needed to be adjusted to more nutritious options at each station in Alumni. Specifically, I highlighted the limited meal swipe options at the Alumni burrito station, Fuego, that included either a cheese or veggie quesadilla as the main meal. These were students’ only meal swipe options from this station at the time.

When I returned to PC this year, I was delighted to see that they added a junior burrito to the meal swipe options at Fuego. I don’t think anyone else was more excited than me to meal exchange a burrito during the first week of classes.

This spring, I tried to compromise with PC dining in my article, and suggested they add a chicken quesadilla option so students could, at the very least, get a main meal item with a source of protein. Instead, they hit it out of the park by adding a junior burrito where you can add all the toppings you want and choose your own protein.

In an ideal world, I would have loved PC dining to add a burrito bowl or a regular-sized burrito to the meal swipe options. Still, I recognize that they don’t want to make Friar Bucks obsolete or charge more for meal swipes because the value of potential main-meal items would go up. This is a perfect middle ground that will keep students like me happy without altering the structure of our meal plans or the value of the Friar Bucks.

I was, of course, worried that the junior burrito wouldn’t fill me up and I would be left disappointed. However, keep in mind that your meal swipe main items come with a side and a drink. Once I finished my burrito and chips, I was perfectly full and didn’t feel weighed down or stuffed, as I sometimes do when I eat an entire burrito bowl from the same station.  

It seems like this addition to Alumni’s menu has addressed my complaints about limited toppings, protein options, and portion sizes. I haven’t tested this theory by ordering a sandwich from the sandwich station, which used to limit the meal exchange main item to a 3–4 inch sandwich. Still, with this great discovery, I will go back soon and look for the likely improvements at the other stations. 

These dining hall improvements are not limited to Alumni. Since my first year at PC, I have noticed the ebb and flow of food at Ray, but I am happy to report that, in my opinion, Ray is at its best in the last four years. 

Although the left half of Ray has not changed much over the years, the right half has shifted from pizza, pasta, and chicken tenders to pizza, pasta, burrito bowls, and Indian, with the chicken tenders moving to the burger-and-fries station, where they fit in much better. Even just with the addition of the Indian food station, Choolaah, this year, my rating of Ray has increased dramatically. Now Ray offers nutritious, balanced meal options alongside the classics, which haven’t been replaced, but rather complemented by more adventurous and culturally diverse foods. 

First-year students are lucky to have their unlimited meal plan at Ray during its current peak, and I hope everyone uses these new dining additions to explore new foods and eat meals that will actually fuel our bodies to study and have fun. 

Thank you, PC Dining, for making improvements and listening to students’ requests! You will catch me at the burrito station too often.