University of St. Thomas Dining Services, in order to be fully compliant with Minnesota state law, will be implementing a tax rule designated as the “75 percent rule.” This rule commits the university to tax all food items under four or more servings; therefore, most food items in all locations on both the St. Paul and Minneapolis campuses will be taxed according to the tax rate of each city.
The St. Paul tax rate is 7.625 percent, and the Minneapolis tax rate is 10.775 percent on food items. (Food for Thought is within the downtown restaurant and liquor tax area). All purchases made with Flex, Plan 5, department charges, and meals will not be taxed on their purchases due to other regulations.
Price changes at most locations also will occur. As a customer, the UST community comes first; however, Dining Services has not adjusted prices in more than three years. In those three years, food and supply costs have increased, and Dining Services has not passed on those costs in an attempt to benefit our customers. The price changes will be as low-impacting as Dining Services can achieve. These prices will change over on Friday, Aug. 16, and be fully implemented by Monday, Aug. 19.
To display the impact of the “75 percent rule” and pricing, Dining Services will now display all prices with tax separated on all receipts printed from the registers for the customer’s information; previously, the price displayed at the purchase point at places such as T’s and Food for Thought displayed only the price with tax included.
Minnesota tax rules also require the university to pay use tax on alcohol, even when consumed at an internal event. Dining Services has been adjusting the NetCatering system to reflect these tax changes. Internal events held on or after July 1, 2013, will include alcohol tax. This tax does not apply to food.
Locations
Beakers, located in Owen Science Hall, is undergoing major renovation. The new Beakers will be located in the same space but with a new face. All new cabinetry, digital signage and other amenities designed to provide a better experience for the customer will be installed. Starbucks Coffee will still be featured with a selection of sandwiches, snacks, Pepsi/Naked and other grab-and-go items. This project is expected to be completed toward the end of September 2013.
Scooter’s is undergoing a menu revision to provide an enhanced dining experience. The new menu will be available on fall semester's opening day.
Summit Marketplace, as many have already experienced, has undergone renovation over the summer.
