Students who use the Eagles’ Nest will find that many of the combo meals that once cost them a swipe have gone up this semester. 

According to Doug Reynolds, the manager of the Eagles’ Nest, prices haven’t been raised for the last three years.

“The average food cost goes up three to five percent every year,” said Reynolds. 

The items on the posted menu that now cost more than one swipe include the super deluxe burger combo, the barbecue bacon burger combo, the smokehouse burger combo and the 12-inch sub sandwich. Reynolds wanted to be fair to students by limiting the amount of menu items that would push a student over the value of one swipe. He opted to only raise the prices on specialty items such as bacon to avoid having to raise prices on all the menu items. 

“The only things that have gone up are the specialty items,” said Reynolds. “Everything else stayed right below the meal swipe, you just have to pick and choose what you want on your burgers now compared to having a loaded burger.” 

Maria Cardona, a frequent customer at the Nest, said that she hasn’t had an issue with the increase in prices.

“I usually come to the Nest because going to Convo with the long lines can be a bit of a hassle with my tight schedule,” said Cardona.

But for junior Alyssa Bayne, the price increase might be enough to make her changer her order.

“The Nest is a good alternative to Convo, but I probably will avoid options that cost more than one swipe,” said Bayne. “Unless I am having a bad day or just really craving something that costs a little extra.”

Matt Portner, the director of Auxiliary Services, offered some hope for students who don’t want to use all of their swipes in one place.

“Eventually, the equivalency at the Nest will have to go up,” said Portner. “But the meal plan price will have to go up in scale as well.”

This means that the retail price of meal plans will have to be raised but that the spending power of a swipe at the nest will also increase. According to Portner, students can expect to see these types of changes next year.

“The problem we face is that as food costs go up, our meal plan prices do not. They went up for the first time this year in five years, so every year we were losing money,” said Portner. 

For students looking for the best value, the Nest does not compare to Convo. However, options such as the Eagles’ Nest, Schar Café, and Tuffy’s Smoothie Bar are options that allow students to get more out of their meal plan and give them more flexibility.

“Five years ago we started a flex meal plan and before that you could only use your meal plan at convo,” said Portner. “We wanted to find a way to add value and flexibility to the meal plan so we opened it up to the Eagles’ Nest. But we had to come up with a way to keep prices low, give students flexibility and not lose money for the university.”

Reynolds looked at value differently than how much you could get for a swipe.

“We went for quality over quantity this year,” said Reynolds. “We want the students to have big portions and better quality items for their money.”

Junior Clay Smalley already noticed the improvements.

“I always get the spicy chicken wrap and it has way more food in it now and it is better quality and the fries are way better,” he said. 

Students will notice more options on the menu as well as a new condiment bar. 

“Wonder bar is awesome now,” said cashier Katy Dean. “It is remodeled with a new counter and organized plastic ware containers along with a lot more condiments for people to choose from.” 

The menu at the nest also includes several new choices including a pulled pork sandwich, a Mediterranean chicken sausage sandwich, and a smokehouse burger.