The title of this one pretty much says it all. Herein, I talk about some of the different sources of food at the Burnaby Campus, as well as which ones are, in my personal opinion, the best options.
The first and least likely options is, of course, to eat off campus. Harder to do than it sounds, unless you have a massively huge break. Still, if you do have such a break, there is a Costco a relatively short distance away, and you can always hope on a bus to Metrotown for your choice of just about anything you could want to eat.
Just to double-state this though, I really can’t stress that, in terms of raw costs, a Costco hotdog is one of the least expensive meal you will ever buy, and can be compared favorably to some of the things available on Campus…
Next up, The stand! I’m pretty sure this is run by the Student Association (which will be important later) but I’ve never gotten around to actually asking. Great for junkfood. Less great for meals. I recommend the hotdogs only if heading to costco is not an option. I also recommend the Pizzas, which are cooked in the pub and probably one of the better choices available.
Tim Hortons + Whatever-the-other-place-is-called-now! Seriously though, I’m pretty sure the name is different, so I haven’t a clue. The nameless on (now) serves Breakfast meals 24/7, which I have been told are actually pretty good, but I haven’t had them myself (place lost my trust before they changed their menu). As for Timmys…well, this is where I mention this: With the exceptions of the student store (which does not prepare food) and the Pub, all the food places in BCIT are actually run by a company called Chartwells.
Chartwells has a dedication to mediocrity that few can match. While it does not do a terrible job, usually, with its food, it does an extremely mediocre one, and then has the galls to charge a premium for it! Basically, it’s the scum of the earth. but if you want to buy food, you have little alternatives but to deal with them.
The other The Stand! This one is right about the pup, in the Great Hall. It’s bigger and therefore has a larger selection of stuff as compared to the other one, but otherwise it is largely the same deal. Go see what I said about that one above.
The Cafeteria! (in the Great Hall)
It has some generic chartwell stuff in the back, as well as a Quiznos that is, well, is Quiznos actually good at other places? I’ve never eaten from another location. Regardless, the main benefit of it in my mind is that it gives me an options that was not fried (or baked, in the case of the Pizza I guess). Their selection is pretty terrible though.
Speaking of fried food, there’s also a Tripple Os(Yay!)…which the Cartwell’s management has none the less managed to lower the quality of(T_T). Still, with the high standard that Whitespot started with, it is still better than every other place they run. It also has Triple-O Tuesdays, so that’s a thing.
The pub! I actually don’t usually eat here because, I don’t like eating alone (or, if I’m being honest, really have the time for it usually) and also because I don’t drink. That said, from when I have eaten from here I found it pretty decent. I mean, it’s not going to win any awards, but a pub is a pub, and I honestly think it meets or beats pretty much everything else on campus.
There are also coffee shops like this one scattered around campus. I don’t usually go to these because I don’t do coffee, so I can’t really say too much about them. They usually do have some semi-fresh food though, and I’ve seen pasta at some of them, so they are probably at least a passable alternative to chartwells.
And, finally, there is of course this option: Bring food from home! Really, this is the best choice because it’s healthier and cheaper on average then buying food on campus. It is, however, sometimes impractical. Not to mention time consuming. Personally, I like to try to make things like Pasta on school nights, because then I can make enough for leftovers for lunch in the next day or 2. Experiment! But this is your best bet, so aim for it!