When it comes to free food college students are the notorious abusers of the notion. As the cost of textbooks continues to break the bank and student loans maintain their lead role in your reoccurring nightmares, not having to pay for the necessary nourishment that your body requires sounds like a pretty sweet deal. So what’s the craziest thing UF students have done to avoid the bill? Here are the stories of some of the college community’s most marvelous moochers.
The Birthday Bandits
Have you ever found yourself at a loss of how to spend your birthday? Filling your car with more free food than you could ever consume is certainly not a dreadful option. A senior spent her last birthday with her best friend, hitting up every establishment offering up the coveted birthday freebies.
These girls were certainly not neophytes in the game of birthday handouts; they went to multiple locations of the same restaurants, alternated turns going into the same establishments and even abused the drive through system at Chick-fil-a by walking in and driving by to receive double the amount of free food.
Needless to say, by the end of her birthday the car was filled with enough food to feed the entire student body and she didn’t have to spend a penny–not too shabby. If you find yourself inspired by the escapades of these two birthday bandits check out where you can get free food on your birthday and follow in their footsteps.
Pro-Peace and Pro-Pizza
Photo courtesy of @spoonuniversity on Instagram
College campuses are teeming with young activists jumping at the chance to share their beliefs with the world–or the rest of the student body. Last year a freshman witnessed a large altercation materializing between pro-life and pro-choice advocates in the center of campus. In an effort to stop the madness she marched her way into the center of the quarrel with a large sign reading “FREE HUGS” trying to promote peace among the bickerers.
Her bold act resulted in not only an abundance of praise but an abundance of pizza as well. Bystanders were pleased with her actions and began presenting her with reams of free food, especially pizza, in order to show their support. Who knew that standing for what you believe in could be so delicious?
The Sleep Deprived Donation
Photo by Molly Doroba
The horrors of finals week are fairly consistent among all college campuses. Throngs of overly stressed out students who are running on two hours of sleep and six cups of coffee is basically all there is to see. While avoiding the impending doom of yet another mental breakdown, this UF student thought she would brighten up her day with a cup of coffee and a toasty bagel from Starbucks. In theory this was a great idea…
However, the fact that most employees of on-campus Starbucks shops are UF students meant that they too were going through the abhorrence known as finals week. After placing her order the sleep deprived barista became incredibly confused and frustrated with the continuous mistakes he’d made while placing the order. He eventually gave up and told the student to forget about it and let her leave with her bagel and cup of coffee.
The student says that she “left, but did not forget.” At least we know that there was one good thing to come out of finals week.
Abusing the System
Colleges are not blind to the fact that students are eager to save a penny wherever they can and that nothing tastes as good as free food. Many campuses hand out coupons or gift certificates at various events as an incentive for student attendance.
While it was expected for students to each take one coupon for a free meal at a Blaze Pizza, two freshmen managed to smuggle seventy-two coupons while picking up their tickets for an upcoming football game. A little bit greedy? Sure. Incredibly genius? Absolutely.
Flirting for Freebies
One thing that most people can agree on is that Chipotle is quite honestly the greatest creation to come out of the food industry since, well, ever. However, another thing we can all agree on is the outrageous pricing for that coveted green treasure known as “guac.” $1.95 for some mashed up avocados? Seriously Chipotle?
The desire for guac runs deep in most people, especially in this UF student, flagrantly known for her ability to flirt her way to free guac and chips. If a flip of the hair and a coy smile is all it takes to avoid the avocado extortion, I’m all in.
Delicious Dancing
Photo by Danielle Gervais
We’ve all been there–your jam comes on and you can’t help but sing along. While generally nothing of substance ever results from the outburst, this student managed to secure a free iced aroma and croissant from hers.
While waiting in line to purchase her coffee she decided to sing along to the music playing in the coffee shop. The cashier promptly offered her to have her iced Aroma and croissant free of charge if she started to dance along with her singing. Obviously she broke out her dance moves in the middle of the shop and went home with free Aroma coffee.
The ambition for free food is a tradition as old as the hills and will not be losing its place in the collegiate experience anytime soon. Don’t be afraid to get creative, crazy and even a little bit devious while going through this rite of passage. After all, food always tastes better when you didn’t have to pay for it.