Dining on the Penn campus underwent significant changes, and, in response, Business Services saw the need for a strategic dining plan to guide future developments. Key factors included: 

• Growth in the residential population, with potential plans for a sophomore live-on requirement. 
• Rising operational costs and a booming University City restaurant market, making it hard to keep the retail program self-sustaining. 
• Students and staff increasingly favored convenience and preferred more accessible food locations, adding financial strain to the program. 

Envision initially focused on restructuring meal plans, but realized a broader review of the dining program was necessary. We examined the current model, comparing it with peer institutions, and exploring new structures with Penn Dining. Input from students, staff, and administrators highlighted Penn’s strong culture of choice and the importance of balancing institutional goals with personal agency. Most supported a mandatory first-year meal plan, valuing the structure and community it fostered. Business Services used the Strategic Plan to continue discussions on how new meal plan structures could impact student life and the financial model, offering analysis on three broad approaches without a single recommendation.