By Stephanie Holland
By Stephanie Holland
It’s lunchtime and your wallet is practically empty, what do you do?
Well if you’re a Riverside City College student with a little time between classes you may want to skip the astronomical prices in RCC’s cafeteria and head off campus.
Being in the heart of downtown Riverside provides students with a plethora of choices for a cheap lunch.
Pick Up Stix in the Riverside Plaza offers lunch specials that include your choice of a lunch sized entrée, steamed or brown rice and a garden salad.
The house special beef and the cream cheese wontons are classic favorites that are always good.
You can also try their combos which include lunch sized portions of their house special chicken, orange peel chicken or beef and broccoli, a choice of fried or steamed rice, one appetizer and a regular drink.
At $6.99 these specials aren’t as cheap as some of the others, but you get a lot of food for your money.
If Chinese food is not your cup of tea, the plaza has several other choices for a value priced lunch including El Pollo Loco, Quizno’s Subs and Wendy’s.
For something a little different from the average fast food, try Daphne’s Greek Café.
Daphne’s offers Greek cuisine, including gyros and classic Greek salads, at affordable prices.
They offer eight different lunch specials that all come with a Greek salad and a regular drink. Choices include gyros, kabobs and falafels.
Daphne’s is also one of the few places in the area that specifically offers a vegetarian lunch.
A different choice for vegetarians would be the spankopita plate, which is spinach and feta cheese in filo dough which is then flash fried.
It’s a little more adventurous than a burger and fries.
However, if a burger and fries is what you’re looking for then look no further than Jack in the Box.
While more expensive than most other fast food chains, Jack in the Box has always been known for its value menu.
For about five dollars you can get two tacos, a small fry and two more tacos to save for later.
Jack in the Box is also currently featuring an offer where their flagship burger, the Ultimate Cheeseburger, is only $1.99.
Another great burger choice within walking distance is Carl’s Jr.
Carl’s is also more expensive than most fast food restaurants however, they are known for having a lot of coupon offers.
The majority of Carl’s combos run between $5 and $6. One of the most popular items on their menu is the western bacon cheeseburgers.
It is recommended that you ask for extra barbecue sauce to truly enjoy this cheeseburger.
Finally, a favorite of starving college students everywhere is Del Taco.
The value of Del Taco cannot be overstated. There is no place else on the planet where you can get chicken soft tacos or a half pound bean and cheese burrito for 99 cents.
It’s unbelievable how much food you can get for so little money at Del Taco.
The other fabulous advantage of Del Taco is that its drive-thrus are open 24 hours, so no matter when you have lunch they’re always open.
Being a college student is hard. Between classes, activities and athletics, there is so much to worry about all the time. What to have for lunch and how to afford it really shouldn’t be one of them.
