Campus Dining launched VandyCart in August, allowing undergraduate and graduate students to purchase groceries for pickup at one of the three Munchie Marts or at Rand Hall. The program aims to provide an easier way for students to buy grocery essentials and especially caters to off-campus students with meal plans or students who have kitchens on campus. All orders are placed on Transact Mobile Order, which also houses the online ordering system for VandyBlenz. Meal swipes are valued at $12 per swipe, and Meal Money and Commodore Cash are also accepted.
The service provides new food options and a new way to use meal swipes, which some students appreciate. Senior Kady Hillman looks forward to using the swipes that would have gone to waste at the end of the semester.
“With meal swipes now able to be used for groceries, it has opened opportunities to host friends over and share a homemade meal without the financial stress or worrying about transportation to the store,” Hillman said in a message to The Hustler.
The opening of Turnip Truck in January offered on- and near-campus students a grocery store within walking distance. However, those living further away on campus may have still struggled to buy groceries in-store without a car. For those who rely on groceries to make their own food, VandyCart comes as a pleasant addition. Hillman described her roommate’s frequent use of the service for meal prepping.
“With student teaching and classes, she gets VandyCart at least three times a week and limits going to the store,” Hillman said in a message to The Hustler.
Similarly, junior Ariana Sierra called the new service convenient and helpful, as it had all the grocery items that she was looking to buy. Sometimes, though, the pickup system can be a hassle.
“The only con is you have to order it two hours ahead, and there’s specific time slots instead of you choosing a time,” Sierra said.
The app also does not allow users to place an order when the service is closed, even to pick up the next morning. Without enough prior planning, it can sometimes lead to disappointment when the service is no longer accepting orders or if the pickup options do not work with your schedule.
Some students have found that the limited options that are available to order are not always useful for what they prefer to eat. Campus Dining has added more ingredients since the debut of the service, spanning produce, dry goods, protein and dairy products and ranging from staples like flour to chipotle queso.
“Some newer items available with Meal Money include toiletries, medicines and drinks. Effective this week, salmon, chia seeds, oatmeal, granola, fresh fruit and yogurt are also now available on VandyCart,” a Campus Dining representative said in an email to The Hustler.
Still, though, some items seem illogical to include in a list of what should be the most typical grocery purchases for students. Senior Elizabeth Zang has used the service before and said that despite her initial excitement for the service, it has not been as useful as it seems.
“The ingredients that they offer are really random like zucchini, maple syrup or a block of tempeh,” Zang said in a message to The Hustler. “I just wish they actually included the things I do buy at the grocery store like Diet Coke, granola or better snacks.”
There are options for fresh produce and pantry items that could be used to make meals from scratch, but because of the limited catalog, it may be difficult to make meals without supplementing them with groceries from the store. That inconvenience could prevent VandyCart users from using all the ingredients they buy.
“Every time I buy the random ingredients, I never have time to cook them and end up throwing them out because they went bad,” Zang said.
Another setback for the service appears to be the marketing force behind it. When asked about VandyCart, senior Brooke Lytle said she had not seen information about the new offering and never used it as a result.
“I have no idea what VandyCart is,” Lytle said.
Similarly, senior Zoë Breininger said that despite being familiar with the grocery service, the lack of advertisement means that she does not always think of VandyCart when she does need groceries.
“I have considered using VandyCart before. The application and product seem to be convenient; however, it is not well-advertised, so I often forget it is an option,” Breininger said.
Following the demolition of Branscomb Quadrangle and the corresponding Munchie Mart, there is no convenient access to a VandyCart pickup location for students living in the residential colleges of the West End Neighborhood. Yet, because of the Rand pickup location, these residents have an option for packaged foods and snacks that are closer than the nearest Munchie Marts in Highland Quad or the Kissam Center. That improved access to food can help students stock up to eat outside of the dining halls’ hours of operation.
If using VandyCart becomes part of a weekly routine, and if it happens to have the groceries that you use, it could be very helpful and could save hours of time getting to the grocery store and browsing for food. But, it could be even more helpful for students if the Munchie Marts started offering more groceries in its regular hours — that way, students could shop at any time that is convenient, instead of during the set pickup times. It might also be more helpful to have a new Munchie Mart location to serve the West End part of campus, allowing students to buy some groceries in-store, even if other items are still only available to order ahead.
According to Campus Dining, VandyCart serves roughly 400 meals per week to around 200 unique users per week. Those who cook or frequently need groceries will likely find VandyCart to be a useful service that can improve the appeal and value of their meal plan, but it may not be practical for others.
