Now that the long lines at Usdan University Center have subsided somewhat, students are complaining about a new element of their lunchtime experience: Bon Appétit’s food is simply too expensive.

“I think the prices are absurd,” said Rahel Haile ’10. “[Bon Appétit] thinks this is a New York City restaurant. I mean, the food is good, but this is our only option and the prices are too high.”

Marketplace items range from 2.49 points for a slice of cheese pizza to 5.09 points for a hamburger to 8.89 points-per-pound for a vegan plate. Last week, each student spent an average of 7.80 points on lunch, which is priced à la carte. Lunch has typically seen over 1,000 students in the marketplace and another 300 in the café area.

“I strongly feel that [prices] are too high,” wrote Becky Weiss ’09, co-chair of the Dining Committee, in an e-mail to the Argus. “A small piece of chicken should not cost $5…As of right now, Bon Appétit is going to do their own review of prices. I plan on putting as much pressure as possible on them to make sure that this happens and that prices get lowered.”

Weiss is the chair of the Wesleyan Student Assembly’s Finance and Facilities Committee (FiFaC), and leads the Dining Committee alongside Bon Appétit’s Marketing Director Sarah McGowan. The group addresses general student dining issues, and the concerns of the Environment Organizers Network (EON) and the United Student Labor Action Coalition (USLAC), who each have a representative on the committee.

On Tuesday, the Dining Committee met to discuss the current state of affairs on campus.

“Among the issues were the high prices, lack of labeling, the limited Vegan options, Bon Appétit’s overuse of plastic dishes (we suggested more reusable dishes or paper that could be recycled or composted), and the need for variety,” Weiss wrote via e-mail.

To counter student complaints about prices, Bon Appétit introduced a series of breakfast and lunch specials. Among these offerings are two slices of cheese pizza, a fountain beverage and a piece of fruit for 6.47, and half of a grinder, a small soup, a piece of fruit and a fountain beverage for 7.43.

“Basically, we’re giving the soda away,” said Bon Appétit Resident District Manager Delmar Crim. “If somebody’s a good customer and they buy all of the components, they’re able to get out of here with a good lunch at a great price.”

Bon Appétit sent out an all-campus e-mail on Monday announcing the new specials.

“I think it was a good idea to do the combos, but I haven’t seen a lot of advertising other than the e-mail we got,” said Joe Newman ’09.

Although new items have been added to the menu, Bon Appétit’s pricing is essentially the same as former food service provider Aramark, Crim explained.

“Nothing changed,” Crim said. “That was our deal. We told Wesleyan coming in that we wouldn’t change any of the cash prices of items.”

In fact, Bon Appétit increased the amount of points provided to students in the all declining balance points plan. Last year, Aramark offered 1,388 points, whereas Bon Appétit’s plan is 1,478 points.

Students pay for dining as a part of a residential comprehensive fee, new this year, which combines dining and housing costs in a single charge. Freshmen and sophomores pay $10,130 and juniors and seniors pay $11,512.

Because these costs are lumped together in one sum, it’s impossible to clearly equate the dining point to an amount in American dollars, but Bon Appétit management maintains that one point is equal to one dollar.

According to University Center Director Dean Rick Culliton, Bon Appétit is listening to students and trying to do what they can to answer complaints.

“There are other pressures in terms of fresh food, labor costs and operating costs that aren’t changeable, so I don’t know what kind of flexibility they’re going to have,” he said. “I think they’re trying to be creative with responding to students’ requests but they also need to pay the bills.”

There will be an open forum to discuss dining at this Sunday’s WSA meeting at 7:00 p.m. in Room 108 in Usdan.