It’s harder to dine at Leo J. O’Donovan Dining Hall this year than last year, and the newly enforced guest pass policy is one of the major reasons. Officially, the guest pass policy allows “each meal plan holder to have 2 guest passes for anyone of their choosing,” per semester, according to a Hoya Hospitality manager.  

Despite the official print, I’ve found that the guest pass policy has been inconsistently enforced. This year, I’ve experienced staff members enforcing it more strictly, while students and their families fall victim to the confusion, forcing them to pay additional door rates to admit guests. The lack of a clear, consistent policy is hurting students’ dining experience, and Hoya Hospitality should not stop at having a clearer guest policy, but rather expand the guest plan altogether. Students with an unlimited meal plan should be able to bring unlimited guests, whereas students with reduced meal plans should have more passes. 

At the start of the school year, I invited my parents to dine at Leo’s with me. I expected to easily swipe my parents in by tapping my GoCard as I did several times last year. However, at the front desk, staff members refused to let me swipe my parents in and forced each of my parents to pay $18.61 to enter. 

That day was not a special event at Leo’s, nor was the menu particularly enticing. I remember being embarrassed at having to ask my parents to pay for dining hall food after they already purchased the unlimited meal plan. I was also under the impression that my guest passes allowed two people to dine with me. When I contacted Hoya Hospitality through their online form to raise this issue, I never heard back. 

When I asked around, I found out that other students have faced similar difficulties when bringing friends and family to campus. 

Kezia Hutabarat (SFS ’29) said she was confused over the guest pass policy, assuming that Georgetown would allow guest swipes like other institutions do. 

“When my parents came with me to Leo’s, I was told to pay for their food,” Hutabarat told The Hoya. “I don’t use the guest pass policy often, but I was confused why I couldn’t simply swipe for them. My parents could’ve just gone to Tatte or Yellow.”

Students I’ve talked to are under the assumption that the guest pass policy is the same as years before — just swipe in for a guest. Even if there is now a limit, the fact that both Hutabarat and I were unable to swipe our parents in, despite the hypothetical ability to do so, exposes that this policy isn’t as clear or as consistent as it should be. 

I have yet to see a guest come in without being charged. This forces them to pay the same charge my parents did, or rely on either upstairs Leo’s or off-campus locations. Since my first experience, I’ve decided to take friends off campus to eat. 

The problem isn’t just the unclear policy, though, but the policy altogether. It seems unfair to limit guests for Leo’s. The unlimited meal plan with $200 Flex dollars, the default for all first-year and sophomore students, costs $3,924 per semester. To charge guests, most of whom have been families in my experience, additional door rates of $14.61 for breakfast, $18.61 for lunch or $20.91 for dinner (not including tax) is an unnecessary, unfair financial burden. Some students’ families likely can’t afford the unexpected cost of a $20 meal per person, especially when they spent money on travel and lodging to see their children. Paying for the meal plan and tuition is already a hefty fee, and asking Georgetown families to pay additional charges just to eat with their kids is categorically unjust. 

If at least half the school (over 3,500 students) pays for the unlimited plan, with the rest paying for reduced meal plans that can still cost over $3,000, then Hoya Hospitality is by no means bankrupt. Virginia Tech, a public institution, charges $3,147 for its unlimited meal plan. Somehow, Virginia Tech is able to charge less while allowing students to bring unlimited guests. 

Realistically, students won’t be using guest passes every day. However, limiting the guest pass policy to two means allowing parents to eat free only once — and that’s assuming that the guest pass policy is correctly enforced. Instead of limiting how many times students can eat with their families, Hoya Hospitality should encourage students to bring their families to campus and share their college dining experiences, considering how much students already pay for the meal plan. 

To ensure price value, Leo’s should expand its guest pass policy. The current policy should be made clearer to students and enforced regularly. From there, students on unlimited plans should have unlimited guest passes, and students on reduced meal plans should have more passes, allowing them to bring their parents to Leo’s at least twice. 

Dining is a core part of any college experience, and wanting to share that with family members is understandable and expected. Right now, the current guest policy at Leo’s is an impediment and a financial burden for students looking to share their dining experience with friends and family. It is critical that college dining not bar students from bringing guests to Leo’s. Continuing the current guest pass policy is limiting the potential and the bonding power of Leo’s dining experience. 

Karina Bhatt is a sophomore in the School of Foreign Service.