Have you noticed your declining balance declining faster than usual this semester? Or that you paid more than you expected to once you got to the register with your items? You are not alone. The prices for both dining options in the Student Union, Vic’s and The Grill, have grown exponentially.

Both Vic’s and the Grill are the most popular options to eat on campus during lunch. The lines are long, everyone’s trying to beat the lunch rush, and these changes in prices are going under the radar. For example, at Vic’s, prices have been inconsistent.

A porkchop at Vics should cost $4.19 for DB holders, but the register has allegedly shown it at $5.09. Even for the Happy Hour 32-ounce soda, which should be priced at $1.29, now cost $1.54. Even when calculating tax, it would only add up to $1.39.

Students have posted on the Northwestern State Concerns page on Facebook, claiming that side orders like French fries and beverages at the Grill have been rung up as separate items.

Steve Kauf, a worker at Sodexo, has said that there is a combo option which adds $3 to whatever meal you get. He said his option for eating on campus is at Iberville, since “it’s all you can eat for less than $8 on a meal plan.”

After practice on her first day, Lisa King, a senior cheerleader at Northwestern State University, immediately noticed the change of prices. She has been going to the Grill almost every night for 3 years now and is very familiar with the menu and their prices. With the rise in price she does not recommend a meal plan to anyone.

“It’s better to just go grocery shopping and cook,” King said. “Going to eat at local restaurants would even be a better option than Sodexo because, even if you are getting a light snack or a light meal, you’re still going to come out of more than $10.”

When it comes to Sodexo’s future regarding the prices, King thinks that if enough students speak up or stop buying from Sodexo, they will have no choice but to make a change to their prices. Otherwise, Sodexo will lose money. “By October, everyone is going to be out of DB and I doubt, with these prices, people will pay out of their pockets to eat Sodexo.”