A student stood in line, placed an order and got to the register only to discover that he or she couldn’t pay for the food that was being prepared.

This scenario has played out many times this semester at the Einstein Bros. Bagels on University Drive, said Amanda Moore, a junior ballet major and a shift manager at the restaurant.

Moore said the problem is that Einstein’s doesn’t accept students’ Frog Bucks, a special currency included in meal plans that can be spent on campus or off campus at select locations.

Students under the impression that their Frog Bucks are accepted come to Einstein’s only to be turned away once it’s time to pay, Moore said.

“We have even had orders placed in line, prepared and then canceled at the register since the students only had their IDs with them,” Moore said.

Peter Jakel, a spokesperson for Einstein Noah Restaurant Group, said the Frog Bucks system is something the company isn’t very interested in.

“There has been some discussion about it, but I don’t believe we looked into the program with a whole lot of detail,” Jakel said. “These things are just very complex as far as contracts and things like that.”

Dallas Burleson, general manager of the Einstein Bros. on University, declined to comment.

Craig Allen, director of Residential Services, said Einstein Bros. was among the first restaurants offered the plan by Off-Campus Advantage, the company that deals with off-campus dining, but Einstein Bros. never expressed interest.

“I have a list of every single place (Off-Campus Advantage) contacted and what their response has been, and Einstein has not returned phone calls or mailing,” Allen said.

Most restaurants that didn’t want to be a part of the plan let the university know, Allen said.

“There are a few places that have declined, just flat out said ‘No, we’re not going to do it,'” Allen said. “It’ll be interesting to see if some of those place won’t change their mind because there’s a lot of Frog Bucks available for these vendors.”

Moore said business has suffered at Einstein’s because of the problem.

“It is a huge problem for us, especially since so much of our business traditionally comes from TCU students and is now being taken by restaurants who accept Frog Bucks,” Moore said.

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