What You Need to Know About Dining
Q: What kind of food can you find in '53 Commons (lovingly known as FOCO)?
A: The Class of 1953 Commons is the largest dining hall on campus, offering a wide variety of options at 12 different, stand-alone concepts. There are homestyle options like fried chicken and lasagna as well as student favorites like General Tso's chicken and taco bowls. There is a brick oven hearth that serves the best pizza in town! A grill serving all the traditional favorites including burgers, chicken nuggets, and cheesesteaks. Plus, the Farmstand serves all the fixings to make a great salad every day. Our bakery is known for an endless supply of warm chocolate chip cookies. Students enjoy them on the way into the dining hall and then again on the way out.
Dining is mindful of all the different needs and likes of our customers. We offer a vegan and vegetarian entrée, along with sweet potatoes, a different grain, vegan pizza, a vegan burger, and vegan cookies at the Herbivore station for lunch and dinner every day.
Dartmouth Dining is also very proud of the meals served at the Pavilion, the only certified kosher kitchen in the state of New Hampshire. The Pavilion is a dairy-free kitchen serving lunch and dinner, Sunday night through Friday lunch each week.
Dartmouth Dining is sensitive to those guests desiring to eat Halal. Our culinary team, led by Executive Chef Chris Kaschak, has incorporated menu selections daily that are certified Halal as well as identified items that adhere to the Halal expectations by their nature or preparation method. Look for the (H) symbol throughout our program.
Halal options, many made-to-order, range from grilled chicken and hamburgers prepared on dedicated equipment at the Grill, to pizza from the Hearth, and a variety of options at the Herbivore station. Haram ingredients are treated as allergen, and efforts are made to prevent cross-contamination.
We work closely with the Tucker Center, to provide a variety of options that fit many tastes.
The A9 station is the newest concept in '53 which serves foods free from the Top 9 allergens, and certified GF. Nothing served at A9 contains any of the following: dairy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy, wheat, and sesame.
You will also find a gluten-free pantry in '53 Commons that offers a huge variety of offerings including bread, rolls, muffins, bagels, and flatbreads. There is also a nice selection of cookies, crackers, and other snacks. There is a toaster and microwave so that you can feel safe knowing that you can toast a bagel and not worry about cross-contact.
'53 Commons is also open for Late Night, offering nightly specials along with all of the favorite snack and munchie options, as well as sandwiches, salads, and some of your favorite beverages. You can take a break from studying or plan to spend time with friends during game night or movie night. There is always something going on in FOCO!
Q: What about other food options around campus?
A: Dining has other cafés strategically located across campus in the Collis Center, the Hopkins Center of the Arts, the Baker Library, Anonymous Hall, the 1982 ECSC Building, and the Irving Institute.
There is also the Collis Market located in the Collis Center; Dartmouth's on-campus convenience store which offers a variety of snacks and beverages, as well as school supplies and health and beauty needs.
There are also more self-serve BYTE machines popping up all over campus in dorms, the athletic complex, and snack bars. You can grab a snack or beverage on the run.
With all of the different locations and options available on campus, students can find a meal or snack at any time of the day or night.
Q: What if I have food allergies or health issues that require special meals?
A: Dartmouth Dining has a full-time dietitian-nutritionist on staff who meets with students to help them navigate the dining halls and find options to meet their nutritional needs. Dining works closely with the Student Accessibility Services Office and the Health Services to make sure that students have all the support they need to be healthy and enjoy their dining experience. Students who have registered with SAS can work with the dietitian-nutritionist to create an individualized plan that best meets their needs.
You can schedule an appointment with Beth to discuss your situation and needs.
Elizabeth.A.Rosenberger@Dartmouth.edu
1953 Commons Dining
Hanover, N.H. 03755
603-646-1740 Ofc.
Q: How do the meal plans and Dining Dollars work?
A: All first-year students are assigned to have an Ivy Unlimited plan which gives you unlimited access to '53 Commons and the best value for your money. The Ivy Unlimited plan has $325.00 in Dining Dollars to use at other dining locations, in vending machines, and at the BYTE units. If you like to grab an occasional meal at one of the cafés, you can use a meal swipe at all the locations.
The equivalency values of the meals:
Breakfast $6.25
Lunch $8.50
Dinner $10.00
Your Dining Dollars will carry over from term to term until commencements in June.
Most importantly, you can use your meal plans during breaks between the winter and spring term.
You will not be able to access your meal plans from commencement until the summer term begins.
Q: What about Dining extras and fun?
A: Dartmouth Dining loves serving the students and we want the students to love us and the experiences you have at mealtimes! We do lots of things to continually offer new and different options to keep things interesting and fun.
One of the highlights of each term is the building-wide theme meal offered in '53 Commons. One favorite is the Harvest Dinner in the fall, featuring local and regional fare and visiting partners offering treats and samples of their products. Other student favorites are the Italian Night where the salad bar is transformed into the largest antipasto bar you will ever see, along with some amazing pasta dishes and a gelato bar!
Dining also plans mini weekly monotony breakers so there is always something different to enjoy. Some student favorites include a hot chocolate bar, a donut bar, a Valentine's Day dessert bar, and a Late Night Pancake Breakfast during finals.
You will also see meal deals and special promotions offered at the cafés across campus. Some of the recent specials offered include $0.99 coffee mornings, $1.00-off specials, and vendor giveaways.
Q: How can I make money and friends AND have a good time?
A: Dartmouth Dining is always looking for students to join our team. Whether you like to work morning, noon, night, or late night, serving customers at one of the cafés or behind the scenes in the bakery, central production kitchen, or dish room – we have a job for everyone that will work within your schedule, and you can work as much or as little as you want.
The best thing of all is you can earn some great cash (some of the best pay rates at Dartmouth) and make some great friends while doing it. Click here for more information.