Students who have trouble deciding between a dining hall meal and a downtown restaurant dinner will be able to do both next week.

On Wednesday, Feb. 12, all eight dining commons will offer a special meal called "A Night on the Town," featuring entrees and desserts from downtown restaurants, said Deb Walsh, manager of marketing and communications for the Office of Housing and Food Service Operations.

Students will be able to sample Mario and Luigi's fettuccini in vodka sauce, The Surf Club's chicken wings and the Allen Room's Mediterranean salad, among other choices.

Mario and Luigi's is located at 112 S. Garner St.; The Surf Club is located at 128 E. College Ave; and The Allen Room is located at 100 W. College Ave.

Although this is the first time the downtown special has been offered, "it has absolutely nothing to do with" pressure from students to have downtown restaurant meals available on the University's meal plans, Walsh said.

But some students reacted positively to the prospect of eating a restaurant meal in the dining halls.

"Anytime there's a chance to get away from the regular dining hall meals, I'll take the opportunity," said Jenni Monie (freshman-history).

And Lisa Torban (freshman-division of undergraduate studies) said, "If you've never been (to a downtown restaurant) before, you can get a taste of what it's like before you go spend money."

Despite the relatively high cost to the University, the special will probably become an annual event. It may be moved to the fall semester to give incoming freshmen a chance to experience off-campus cuisine, Walsh said.

The "Night on the Town" feature comes amid a new campaign by Housing and Food Services called "Eat what you take for Earth's sake."

The project, which began with the start of the new semester and continues until spring break, is designed to discourage students from wasting food, Walsh said, adding that food waste is a problem wherever there are all-you-can-eat food programs.

The recurring problem of food waste was brought to the attention of the University by Eco-Action, Walsh said.

The University began to spread the word about food waste through posters and T-shirts worn by dining commons staff, she said.

"It is an important issue," Walsh said. "We would like to set a precedent for other universities."

Torban said that since the campaign began, she hasn't noticed a difference in food waste, but said she thinks it is a needed program.