Frequently Asked Questions

All first-year students are required to enroll in the Anytime Dining plan. Second-, third-, and fourth-year students who live in a traditional residence hall or Shanley Hall are required to have, at minimum, the Ultimate Flex Dining plan. Students residing in the McCarthy Suites must select at least the Friar Block 165 meal plan. The Friar Block 105 plan is best suited for students living in on-campus apartments, while the 50 Block plan is designed for students living off campus or commuting.

Follow the steps below to choose your meal plan. 1. Log in to providence.eRezLife.com with your network credentials.

2. On the left, select “My Meal Plans” under the housing section.

3. Select the appropriate session according to your applicable housing election for next year (i.e., Fall 2025 On-Campus, Fall 2025 Off-Campus, or Fall 2025, Commuters.)

4. Select the Meal Plan and then “SAVE” (remember, certain restrictions may apply based on residence hall placement, Class Year, etc.). All students must choose a meal plan and housing at this time.

If you have questions, please contact Residence Life at reslife@providence.edu

Students may increase or add a meal plan at any time throughout the semester. Requests to cancel or reduce your meal plan must be submitted by a certain date in writing to the Office of Residence Life.

The cost of meal plans can be viewed by visiting the Bursar’s Office under campus fees.

Meal swipes and Friar Bucks are placed on your Student ID card. The cashier in any of the dining locations will accept your card for swipe or payment. Your Student ID card is required to enter Ray Dining.

Meal plans are effective beginning on Move-In Day (Fall) or the Sunday (starting at 4:00 p.m.) before the first day of classes (Spring) until the last day of final exams in each semester. Meal plans are not active during Thanksgiving Break, Winter Break, Spring Break, or Easter Recess.

§ Guest passes can be used only at Ray Dining, Sunday-Saturday. Just let the hostess know that you’d like to use a guest pass. It’s as easy as that! Have a friend visiting? Use a guest pass. Did your roommate forget their ID? Use a guest pass. Have a friend with no meal plan that is interested in steak night? Use a guest pass…you get the point.

Parents can dine for free with your student at Ray Dining.

If you don’t have time to stop by Ray Dining, students on the Anytime, Ultimate Flex Dining, Friar Block 165, or Friar Block 105 meal plans can use one of their regular meal swipes as a Meal Exchange at select dining locations, including Alumni Dining, Diane Parrett R.N. Café, and Eaton St. Café. Meal Exchanges are not additional swipes—they are simply a way to use a meal swipe at another dining location instead of at Ray Dining. Availability and eligible locations depend on your specific meal plan.

When using a Meal Exchange, students may choose one entrée, one side, and one beverage from the Meal Exchange menu. Please note, menus may vary based on your meal plan and dining location.

Here’s the Meal Exchange breakdown.

Meal Plan: Anytime, 14 Plan, Friar Block 165, Friar Block 105 Location: Alumni Dining Days of Week: Monday-Friday Lunch (11:00 a.m. to 3:59 p.m.) Dinner (4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.)

Saturday Lunch (12:00 p.m. to 3:59 p.m.) Dinner (4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.) Sunday Lunch (2:00 p.m. to 3:59 p.m.) Dinner (4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.) Total Meal Exchanges: 10 (five lunches and five dinners)

Meal Plan: Ultimate Flex Dining Location: Alumni Dining Monday-Friday Lunch (11:00 a.m. to 3:59 p.m.) Dinner (4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.) Saturday Lunch (12:00 p.m. to 3:59 p.m.) Dinner (4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.) Sunday Lunch (2:00 p.m. to 3:59 p.m.) Dinner (4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.) Total Meal Exchanges: 14

Location: Eaton Street Café Monday-Friday Breakfast (8:00 a.m. to 10:59 a.m.) Lunch (11:00 a.m. to 3:59 p.m.) Dinner (4:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.) Total Meal Exchanges: 10

Location: Diane Parrett R.N. Café Monday-Friday Breakfast (7:30 a.m. to 10:59 a.m.) Lunch (11:00 a.m. to 3:59 p.m.) Dinner (4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.) Saturday-Sunday Breakfast (9:00 a.m. to 10:59 a.m.) Lunch (11:00 a.m. to 2:59 p.m.) Total Meal Exchanges: 5

Meal Exchange “purchases” are not available through the mobile app, on breaks, or during holidays.

Friar Bucks are dining dollars that can be used like cash, making it easy to eat at other locations on campus without carrying cash or a credit card. Since Friar Bucks are only available to students on a meal plan, all you need is your PC Card to pay for your meal at Alumni Dining, Diane Parrett R.N. Café, Eaton Street Café, Ruane Café, Schneider Concessions, as well as Ray Dining, if you happen to run out of meal swipes. The amount of Friar Bucks available is based on the students’ meal plan and debited from the student’s meal plan account at the time of use.

Friar Bucks balances carry over from the fall to the spring semester as long as you keep the same meal plan. Students who do not have a meal plan in the spring forfeit all remaining Friar Bucks carried over from the fall semester. At the end of the spring semester, any unused Friar Bucks in all accounts are forfeited.

If you happen to run out of Friar Bucks, no problem! You can load additional Friar Bucks onto your PC ID at any time through the Online Card Office. You can also add funds in person at PC Cash-to-Card machines conveniently located in Phillips Memorial Library (1st Floor), the Ryan School of Business (1st Floor), and the Slavin Center (Lower Level). To learn more about how to make a deposit, click here.

PC Cash is a debit account tied to your PC ID and is not related to your meal plan but can be used at many locations on and off-campus. The Online Card Office keeps a complete listing of on and off-campus locations.

PC Cash can easily be added to your PC ID card by making an online deposit through the Online Card Office and will carry over from semester to semester until graduation. At the time of graduation, outstanding balances under $25 will not be refunded and will be used as an administration fee. Account balances greater than $25 will be applied to any outstanding student balances before a refund is provided. Any remaining balance will be returned to the student in a check.

Click here to learn the difference between PC Cash and Friar Bucks.

1. Download “Transact Mobile Ordering” app on the App Store or Google Play.

2. Search and select “Providence College” as your location.

3. Log in with your campus ID or create an account using your personal email.

4. All set! You’re ready to start mobile ordering.

Yes! We accommodate all students who choose to attend Providence College and are committed to supporting a wide range of dietary needs. This includes students with the top nine major food allergies, as well as those with other documented medical dietary requirements. As a partner in student wellness, we offer daily allergen-friendly options at our Simple Servings station in Ray Dining, along with diverse menu choices at every meal to support vegan, vegetarian, and other personal dietary preferences. We also have a registered dietitian, Holli Mootz, available to support students with nutrition questions and special dietary needs. Students may contact her directly at hmootz@providence.edu.

We work directly with students who have been formally diagnosed by a health care provider to provide reasonable accommodations, such as alternate meals or modified menu options. Students requesting access to Simple Zone are required to submit an accommodation request through Providence College’s online portal and meet with our registered dietitian to discuss their needs and available support. If you have questions, please feel free to reach out to our registered dietitian, Holli Mootz, at hmootz@providence.edu. For more information on requesting accommodations, please visit Accessibility Services.