If you’re a starving college student on a budget and need to save some money on your next restaurant visit, read up. Making these smart choices will keep more cash in your pocket when you’re out to eat at fast-food joints, sit-down restaurants, taverns and even upscale places.

1.) Skip the soda and order water instead.
I know, I know. Lots of us think water is tasteless and boring, but you’re not going to curl up and die if you drink it instead of a soda every now and then. Save some cash and take in less calories at the same time by opting for a cup of water instead of a soda at your favorite restaurants. A little lemon will spruce up the flavor, and you’ll save anywhere from $1 to $3 a meal by forgoing your usual Dr. Pepper or Coke.

2.) Stick with restaurants where you don’t have to tip.
From cafeteria-style restaurants and buffets to delis to drive-thru windows, it’s better to hit up places where tipping is not expected when you’re on a budget. Not only do these restaurants tend to be cheaper, but you don’t have to shell out additional dough. Instead of ordering pizza to your apartment, go pick it up yourself. (Note: Coffee shop cafes are not included in this list! Anyone who’s ever worked at a coffee shop knows you should tip your barista!)

3.) Split meals with a buddy.
If everyone goes to a restaurant and orders something for themselves, chances are there will be a lot of food left over on the table unless you all happen to be heavy eaters. Instead of ordering an individual meal, split a larger meal with a friend and enjoy the savings.

4.) Order an appetizer instead of an entre.
Have you seen the size of appetizers at restaurants these days? They can easily fill you up all by themselves and they’re usually quite a bit cheaper than entres.

5.) Go out for lunch or breakfast, rather than dinner.
Dinner portions at restaurants tend to be larger, and therefore more expensive. Breakfast meals and lunch portions are almost always cheaper.

6.) Go out on a weekday, instead of a weekend.
To draw in customers during the slower times of the week, many restaurants offer reduced price meals and other specials to draw people in.

7.) Use a coupon.
The Sunday newspaper doesn’t just have coupons for grocery items. More often than not, it has coupons for restaurants as well. From free desserts to free drinks to $5 off your meal deals, clipping these coupons can be worth your while.

8.) Order off the dollar menu.
You can get pretty good stuff off the value or dollar menu at fast-food restaurants. Sometimes, getting two or three items off the dollar menu will still cost less than a full meal and fill you up just as much.
By-line:
This guest contribution was submitted by Lenore Holditch, who specializes in writing about top online colleges . Questions and comments can be sent to: holditch.lenore @ gmail.com.

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So if you’ve had it with the guest bartenders sloshing drink all over your clothes, and friends/or strangers throwing up on your shoes, check out the relevant insider info from LNS>

Whether the controversy is brought on by the company ad campaigns or not, there is no such thing as “bad publicity” the furor over this drink grows astronomically.  The truth is that the potency of the drink is intensified due to the high alcohol content along with the caffeine and the sugar.

Be warned this stuff is not for the weak or uninitiated.

1. Keep the following items in the mini fridge in your dorm room:

• carrots     whole grain cereal     skim milk     low fat yogurt     nuts raisins      marshmallows
• bananas     ramen noodles

2. Stay away from diet soda.

3. Try to eat something for breakfast.

4. Drink slower.

If you feel the need to snack, use the items in your fridge.  Never go out on an empty stomach.  These are just a few of the rules to stay healthy and keep those extra pounds from creeping up on you before you return to high school to check everyone else out.

The list goes on and to it’s credit, Complex names bars in all 4 corners of the country, and the mid west.  Some of these mentions don’t even get a rift from the students themselves.  University of Maryland scored a 45 with the Cornerstone Grill and Loft.  Most of the bars mentioned, no matter what ranking, got some feedback.  This posting didn’t get much of anything, except two different opinions on the service.

Some of the dive bars get a great rise, and you can understand why.  Schools in the middle of nowhere, or in climates conducive to drinking only in winter semesters should get two bars mentioned.  And those bars should be well frequented.

In all fairness, this list is pretty comprehensive.  It covers a huge territory, and it’s a tough job.  Check it out and see if your school even ranked a posting in the top 50?

Frank Pepe’s Pizza- New Haven, CT.

Frank Pepe’s has other locations, but the original in New Haven is still the one and only best pizza ever.  Our reasons will be outlined as follows:

1) Start with the crust, not too thin, not too thick. Just the right thickness to hold all the ingredients, without overwhelming the flavor.

2) Sauce on this pie is just perfect.  I hate a sweet tomato sauce, and I hate a runny sauce.  Here you have a slightly spicy perfect consistency tomato sauce.

3) Toppings here are all fresh and never over or under cooked.

It doesn’t get any better than this!! We challenge anyone to find a better pizza.  If you challenge us, we will check it out, and post all results here.  If we think YOU have found the best pizza, you’ll win an itunes gift card!!

]]> http://www.uofeating.com/blog/2010/08/18/the-great-college-pizza-challenge/feed/ 0 http://www.uofeating.com/blog/2010/08/18/the-great-college-pizza-challenge/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/uofeating/~3/CXDe9OBZO1o/ http://www.uofeating.com/blog/2010/07/21/first-date-etiquette/#comments Wed, 21 Jul 2010 13:42:35 +0000 admin http://www.uofeating.com/blog/?p=675 Wow, you’ve been hanging around after class together. Now you end up in the caf together, alone, but the next step?  A REAL DATE?  Once you get the words out and the date, time and place is set, the rest should be a breeze right?

Here are just a few tips to be certain the night goes as smoothly as you imagine it in your mind:

• Know where you are going-make certain it’s not a strip club or bottle service only bar.

• Don’t order messy food: spaghetti, french onion soup, anything with too much garlic.

• Keep your fork on your own plate.

• Don’t use your fingers.

• Never begin eating before your date has been served.

• If you did the inviting, you do the paying.

• Relax and enjoy the evening.

Some restaurant names are quite obvious: 82 Queen is the address, S.N.O.B. stands for: slightly north of broad, etc…. BUT some of the names that owners give to their establishments are quite outrageous. Some will make you take note, and perhaps you will remember that restaurant, and that is a good thing. Some will turn you off and that is not a good thing. In our short time up and running, we feel the need to publish a list of the craziest restaurant names we have come upon so far:

In the category: What does this mean:

• Jaleo
• Zoytinya
• Nooshi
• Ukroops
• Scoozi
• Frog & Firkin
• Bison Witches

In the category: Makes us want to check it out:

• Stuff yer face- NJ
• Spike’s Junkyard Dogs -RI
• Miss Fannies Soulfood Kitchen-RI
• Pa Pa Zu Zu’s-SC
• Barking Spider Tavern- OH
• 94th aero Squadron-MD
• Effie Ophelia-PA
• Triple xxx family restaurant-IN

And finally, in the crazy name, but we get it is:

Pinhead Susan’s-NY

This establishment faces a bridge that someone “graffitied” up with the words: Susan is a Pinhead!!

and that was all it took…..

If you know these places and can enlighten us as to the meaning or origin of the names, give us a shout out, we will get it into the blog.

Entire web sites have been devoted to finding and “icing” certain celebs: ie: Ashton Kutcher,

So, what is a macho guy to do when he wants to go out, have some drinks, and maybe impress some girls?  Best bet is to bring your own Smirnoff with you and Ice a buddy first!