Cheap lunch over in OUSA’s Clubs & Socs building has been a mainstay of campus life for decades now. Brought to you by St Kilda’s Tandoree Garden, $4 Lunch has looked the same since 2022. However, four years later, 2026 brings a change in price as well as menu: a $1 price increase, and a fortnightly menu rotation. Lunch hours will also be extended, from 12:00-2:30pm – that’s an extra thirty minutes to stuff your face in between those pesky lectures.
While week one of the menu has remained the same, there’s some slight deviation in week two. While there are some wholly new dishes (vegetable biryani, lentil soup) the majority of the dishes are lowkey the same. Monday’s “Chickpeas & Rice with Potato and Vegetables” has been swapped in week two with “Chickpea Curry with yellow rice & potato curry”, and Tuesday’s “Vegetable Pasta with Mixed Salad” swaps to “Creamy Tomato vegetable pasta with coleslaw”. It's a bit like spot the difference but for your taste buds. Rest assured, tauira are still able to grab their fave add ons (samosas and onion bhaji) for a cool $2.50, and a butter chicken any day of the school week for $7.
“OUSA remains committed to keeping student wellbeing at the centre of all decision-making,” Critic Te Ārohi was told in a statement. “[The menus] rotate fortnightly to improve selection, consistency, and variety for students.”
However, some students are adamant that the change is for the worse. Avid OUSA lunch goer Ella spoke to Critic about her feelings on the change. “I think I’m gonna have to meal prep going forward – it’s just too expensive. It’s only really worth $4. Any more and it’s just not really worth it in terms of portion size, or taste [...] There needs to be more competitors on campus for the low cost lunch.” Ultimately, she reckoned that Miga Hako’s $4 rice balls may displace OUSA lunch, especially due to the 50c increase in onion bhajis and samosas. “People who wouldn’t go on Tuesday or Thursday because the pasta and soup isn’t as filling would get a couple of samosas instead [...] But now they’re adding on an extra dollar.”
“The decision to move from $4 to $5 is directly linked to the current economic landscape,” the OUSA told Critic. “Like many organisations operating in this environment, the OUSA lunch offering has been impacted by inflationary pressures across food, supply chains, and operational costs.” OUSA noted that their lunch programme recently underwent a “formal tender process” to make sure they continued to partner with providers who can deliver value at scale.
“The current provider demonstrated they could continue providing the service at the most sustainable and competitive rate.”
The price increase effectively guarantees that OUSA can continue putting on cheap meals for the University’s hungry learners. “Alongside Free Brekkie and our dinner service, it remains one of the most affordable food offerings available on campus.” That much is definitely true – when purchased in tandem with a Bowling Club dinner for $5, you’ve just fed yourself three meals for $10.
“We understand that any price change can be challenging for students,” OUSA the statement continues. “As the service has only just commenced for the year, we are continuing to collate and assess student feedback.” So give the new $5 lunch a go – and let Critic know your thoughts.