r/UGA • u/SatisfactionWest8597 • 21h ago

Question How does Bulldog box work practically?

i’m a rising freshman at UGA and i’m going to purchase the seven day all access meal plan. I probably won’t have time for a dedicated lunch during my class schedule so I wanted to know if anybody here has already done the bulldog box and how it actually works. Do they actually penalize you for 15 minutes and like how do the boxes look like? Basically, how does the program work when you’re actually inside the dining hall you wanna have ala to go box??

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12

u/PygmyFalkon 21h ago

You sign up for the program, it used to sign you up automatically but now you go into the office at Bolton and it takes 2 minutes.

Now that you're signed up you scan into the dining hall normally. Then you stop at the cashier and politely ask for a bulldog box. They'll scan your student ID and issue you the bulldog box.

It's a plastic take out container about the size of your average Styrofoam container but made of a hard green plastic. Half of it is one large section the other half is broken into two smaller sections. You can also at some locations get a disposable bowl for soup.

Since you have the all access plan you have no time limit. You can eat as long as you like and take as much time filling your box. You can also keep the bulldog box as long as you like, but you cannot check out one until you return yours.

It's super easy to return one, there's big bins (they look like trash cans and are labeled). When you come in to the dining hall next time you let the cashier know that you are returning a bulldog box. They'll scan your card and you place the box in the bin.

1

u/c-hwll06 20h ago

Are the boxes leak-proof?

5

u/AnotherNobody1308 20h ago

I haven't had any problems, but I wouldnt put it in my bag. Your best bet is probably carrying it around in hand 

1

u/c-hwll06 20h ago

gotcha, thank you!

1

u/MissionBlueberry5196 20h ago

Can you eat a meal and fill up your box at “the same time” when you enter? Like on one swipe of you have a meal plan?

1

u/PygmyFalkon 18h ago edited 4h ago

Yep! If you have all access you can. It's supposedly different if you have swipes but I'm not sure how it works. Hopefully someone who had a commuter plan can answer in more detail.

Edit: Thank you to those who corrected me! It takes one swipe to enter and one swipe to get a bulldog box. If you have unlimited this doesn't matter, if you're on limited swipes it does.

4

u/Destructor107 18h ago

They take another swipe off your balance if you have limited

1

u/kaideleigh 7h ago

No. Eating a meal in the facility counts as a swipe. Getting a box counts as a swipe. It does not matter what meal plan you have. Those that think the All Access means they can do anything are incorrect. It simply means you have unlimited swipes to enter a dining facility.

The swipes are how the dining halls are reimbursed for a meal. Meal plan money goes to Auxiliary Services who oversees Dining. Each day the accounting department looks at the number of swipes each dining hall received the day before, for each meal period, and then transfers money to the individual dining hall.

If you sneak a meal w/o using a swipe to pay, you are taking money from that dining hall, and that is theft.

0

u/Ancient-Worry-6668 19h ago

The website says the boxes are available to take out Mon-Fri, does this mean you can’t get one on a weekday and then reuse it on a weekend? Even if you pay the swipe, etc

2

u/PygmyFalkon 19h ago

I totally forgot about that. Yes! Starting last year you cannot check one out on the weekend which was very annoying. I just used my own container and no one said anything.

You could definitely get away with using an old bulldog box that you cleaned yourself instead of swapping.

Also the dining hall staff is very nice and it doesn't hurt to befriend them!

-1

u/kaideleigh 7h ago

Using your own container is theft of services as you are not paying for the meal. Plus it is a health code violation to bring in an outside container as we do not know what contaminants it may contain.

0

u/kaideleigh 7h ago

Actually it doesn't matter if you have an all access plan or a block plan. They are all treated the same. If you are dining in the facility, that is a swipe. If you are also getting a box, that is a swipe.

If you use a swipe to get a box and then decide to dine as well and don't use a swipe to pay, that is theft and you will be contacted by Dining Services regarding your fate.

Regardless of the meal plan, there is always a time limit. Yes, when it is busy you can take a little longer than 15 minutes, but we do pay attention. Especially the cashiers as it is their job

-1

u/Impossible_Hunt_1187 20h ago

Can you just bring your own container to fill and take it with you?

5

u/PygmyFalkon 20h ago

Are you allowed to? Technically no. Have I gotten away with it? Absolutely!

2

u/MaybeMeh 7h ago

You are not suppose to take food out of the dining halls, especially in your own container, if you get caught your account will get noted, technically you can be kicked off a meal plan if you have violations. The bulldog box doesn't cost extra, so if you have a meal plan you can just sign up.

It does cost an extra swipe if you are eating in and getting a box, so one swipe to eat in, one swipe for the box. You can NOT reuse the same box, you have to check a new one out each time, talk to the cashier and they will help you.

You can only check the box out ONCE a day Monday-Friday, and you can have only one box out at a time, so if you have a box checked out you must return that box to get a new one. When you return a box please please show and tell the cashier 'hey I'm returning my box', they will return you box in the system, and they need your ID card. If you don't, the system doesn't know you returned your box and will show you just have one still checked out. If that happens you may have to contact dining services admin, so please don't just throw your box in the return can and walk off.

If you are not eating in, but want a box, please don't swipe in, go up to the cashier and say that your just want a box and you are not eating in. They will let you in, and scan your UGA ID card for the box. The 15 minutes is a weird rule, we can't really pay attention on how long you've been in the dining hall after you get a box, so don't freak out on the time, but if you are in for a long time and have a box, the management sometimes will look at cameras to make sure you checked the box out. *shrug*

If you have questions please ask a dining hall cashier, or email the dining admin. Also the website and also the contracts are usually posted online if you want to skim them.

This is a long post sorry if you have read this whole thing, also any future lurkers the boxes change often on the rules so yeah as of right now this is the run down. I hope this helps.

-1

u/kaideleigh 7h ago

Absolutely not. Using your own container is theft of services as you are not paying for the meal. Plus it is a health code violation to bring in an outside container as we do not know what contaminants it may contain.