Students who returned to the residence halls this year may have noticed an increase in buffet dining prices.

Prices for the Neptune, Douglas and Grant buffets have increased. Breakfast is now $4.25, up from $3.50 last year. Lunch is $6.00, up from $5.50; and dinner is now $7.25, increased from $6.75 last year, said Maxine Bailey, assistant director of Residential Dining Operations.

Prior to this semester, prices had not increased since 2000. Student Housing and Dining made the decision to increase prices due to the rising cost of food and transportation, Bailey said.

“We just had to make some increases. The food prices go up every year and we hadn’t made a change in five years,” Bailey said.

Some students did not notice the increase in buffet dining prices.

“On the weeks I eat more. I notice my meal plan decreasing faster, but I didn’t realize it might be because the buffet prices had increased,” said Maxine Daniels, a sophomore communication major and Neptune resident.

Since the gold meal plan, which is the $55 per week plan, is still the most common, some students have had to adjust their eating habits.

“I’ve been sticking to the grab ’n go and a la carte food because I can’t go to the buffets and expect to have enough money to eat for the entire week,” said Sarah Leis, a sophomore statistics major and Neptune resident.

The Student Housing and Dining office has not had a large number of students request an adjustment in their meal plans this year and students are still choosing to eat in the buffets throughout the residence halls, Bailey said.

“We have not seen a decrease in the number of students we’re serving at the buffets,” Bailey said.

In addition to the increase in prices of the buffet meals, the price of Pepsi products has had a minor increase. A la carte prices remain the same throughout the dining halls.