A 20% average price increase at Spencer Grill and 25% average increase at Global Café since last spring has alarmed students as they returned to find the dramatic price hikes.
In an email to The S&B, Jeanette Moser, director of dining services, attributed the price increases to rising labor, food and supply costs in order to provide “the best quality possible.”
However, some students said they do not feel the rising costs reflect improved quality. “I don’t know where the money is going. I don’t see the quality of the food improving,” said Marina Ananias `26, who worked at Spencer Grill during her first year.
Huy Nguyen `25, who has worked at Spencer Grill since last year, said he thinks dining services raised prices since they would have no concern about “a drop in demand.”
“Some of the students I’ve met, like two or three, stopped their transaction because the item was too high,” Nguyen added.
Some students expressed frustration over the timing of price raises. Last semester, the student base wage increased by 50 cents an hour.
“Prices increased, wages did not increase as much and dining dollars decreased. It just does not make sense,” said Muskan Goel `27. “And the overall cost of college has also increased for students. So basically, for factors, none are in our favor.”
For the 2024-25 academic year, Grinnell College’s comprehensive fees, including tuition and room and board costs, rose by over 5% compared to the previous academic year.
Jasiah Rojas `26 said that navigating life in a “food desert” has been challenging, citing high prices as a barrier. Living off-campus and on the lowest meal plan, he explained that each meal requires an additional out-of-pocket expense. “It’s just very difficult to be here as a Grinnell student, especially as a low-income first-generation student,” said Rojas.
Students say the higher prices haven’t resulted in more opportunities for student workers either. “I’m still technically hired at the Global Café, but we got our shifts cut down because of the cafe not making enough money,” said Kandi Myers `26. “They not only raised prices but also cut our shifts down to eight total shifts for the nine workers we had. So I don’t have any shifts there anymore.”
As of last week, the Global Café is also now available on DoorDash. “We introduced DoorDash to offer community members access to fresh, unique items they may not find elsewhere in Grinnell,” Moser explained.
More changes are on the way, Moser added, especially for Spencer Grill. Soon students and community members will be able to order via Doordash, as well as pick-up orders from lockers added on Tuesday, Sept. 10.
Moser said that while dining services did not specifically seek student feedback on these changes, they are open to hearing from students about them.
