The reality is that especially for adults, the plan is a poor value for most people.
Unless you ALWAYS eat the most expensive item at the most expensive restaurant, and ALWAYS eat at the most expensive TS restaurant for dinner, and ALWAYS get an individual dessert, and drink gallons of soda--- unless you fit that exact profile, then skipping the dining plan is cheaper, sometimes much cheaper.
For almost $60, the dining plan provides 1 TS meal, 1 cs meal, and a snack.
For me, ordering anything I want, that's usually under $50-$55 in value. (I typically will eat a $12-16 cs meal and a $20-33 TS meal, and maybe a $3-$5 snack).