We’re excited to serve you during Odyssey of the Minds World Finals! Please refer to this page for important dining information and enjoy your stay in Ames!

Wristbands

Participants should wear their wristbands around their wrists at all times. The bands are good for entry into the ISU dining centers, special events, and for the shuttle bus service. Participant wristbands were issued at housing registration to team coaches for them to distribute to their team members and guests. Broken wristbands can be replaced free of charge at your conference desk. Bring the broken wristband with you to exchange it for a new one.

Dining Location

Address

Wristband Color
Union Drive Marketplace 207 Beyer Ct Red
Friley Windows 212 Beyer Ct Green
Seasons Marketplace 224 Beach Rd, Blue
MU Food Court 2229 Lincoln Way Yellow

Dining Centers

Access to the all-you-care-to-eat dining facilities will be limited to participants wearing wristbands and their guests purchasing meals at the following guest rates:

ADULTS

  • Breakfast: $12.25
  • Lunch: $15.75
  • Dinner: $15.75

CHILDREN(9 & Under)

  • Breakfast: $9.50
  • Lunch: $11.25
  • Dinner: $11.25
  • Children 3 and under are free with a paying adult.

All ISU Dining Locations are Cashless

ISU Dining is cashless at all ISU Dining retail locations and dining centers.

Meal Serving Times

Union

Union Drive Marketplace, Friley Windows, Seasons Marketplace, and Memorial Union Food Court will serve Odyssey of the Mind guests from dinner on Monday, May 20, to dinner on Saturday, May 25. Menus can be found here.

  • Meal Plan #1 is applicable from Monday, May 20, at dinner through Saturday, May 25, at breakfast.
  • Meal Plan #2 is valid on Tuesday, May 21,  at dinner through Saturday, May 25 at breakfast.

Dining Center Hours

  • Breakfast: 6:30 am-9:30 am
  • Lunch:10:30 am-1:30 pm
  • Dinner: 4:00 pm-7:00 pm

ISU C-Stores

Our on-campus C-stores offer a variety of snacks, beverages, and personal items. You’ll find fountain soft drinks, juices, candy, assorted pastries, chips, snacks, and health and beauty items. If needed, laundry cards to operate the machines in residence halls can be purchased at West Side Market and East Side Market.

From Wednesday, May 22, to Friday, May 24, the West Side Market will offer convenient “To Go” meals between 9 am and 11 am. Teams are welcome to visit the location during these hours to grab a boxed lunch using their wristbands. This option is specifically designed for teams unable to reach the Dining Center during lunch hours due to competitions or other commitments. Please note that a daily limit of 500 boxed meals is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Reservations or pre-orders will not be accepted, and the specified hours are non-negotiable.

Serving Policies

All dining centers operate on an all-you-care-to-eat basis. Please only take what you can eat in order to avoid waste – start with small portions; you can always go back for more. No food, beverages, or dishes are to leave the dining centers. People who aren’t wearing wristbands or haven’t purchased meals are prohibited in the dining centers. Shirts and shoes are required in all dining centers.

Dietary Accommodations

We’re committed to offering food options that meet the needs of students on special / restricted diets. Reasonable accommodations are available to meet the needs of eligible students. Do you have questions for our Registered Dietitian?  You can email us at: diningrd@iastate.edu

Food Allergy Notice: Please feel free to speak with our staff about food allergens.   Prepared foods in our dining facilities may not be allergen-free, even if they are made initially with products that don’t contain the allergen.  Below are the top 9 allergens that ISU Dining lists on ingredient labels and online menus.

Top 9 Allergens

  • Milk
  • Egg
  • Fish
  • Crustacean Shellfish (e.g., Crab, Lobster, Shrimp, Krill, Prawns, Crawfish)*
  • Wheat/Gluten
  • Tree Nuts*
  • Peanuts
  • Soy/Edamame
  • Sesame/Tahini
* Special Notes:
  • Under the Food Allergen Labeling And Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA), molluscan shellfish (such as oysters, clams, mussels, mollusks, scallops, snail, squid, or octopus) is not a major allergen. Therefore, we do not label molluscan shellfish as a shellfish allergen at ISU Dining, only crustacean shellfish.
  • For coconut, while the FDA recognizes it was a “tree nut,” the specific coconut allergen protein is not the same as tree nuts. Biologically, a coconut is not considered a tree nut by the ACAAI (https://acaai.org/allergies/types/food-allergies/types-food-allergy/tree-nut-allergy). Therefore, we do not label coconut as a tree nut at ISU Dining.
  • Highly refined oils contain extremely small levels of allergenic protein. Clinical studies show that highly refined oils can be safely eaten by food allergic individuals. Therefore, highly refined oils derived from the nine major food allergens are exempt from being listed as an allergen (e.g., soybean oil, peanut oil, etc.). Cold pressed, expeller pressed, or extruded oils must be listed as an allergen since it is not as highly refined and contains more allergenic protein.

How to Check Nutritional Information on our Website