Meal Plans
All attendees staying in the residence halls are required to have a meal plan for the dining hall. We create a custom meal plan for each event. You pick the starting meal and date along with the ending meal and date. We provide those meals and all in between for your attendees. If you have attendees who aren’t staying on campus we can create a commuter meal plan for them. You select which daily meals they’ll receive and we’ll provide those meals each day in alignment with the meal plan designated for the attendees staying on campus.
Special Diets
Our dietician will work to accommodate attendees with medically restricted diets or food allergies. Minimally we must receive the attendee’s name and their individual circumstances two weeks prior to the start of the event, so please collect this information while registering attendees. If the circumstances are extensive or complicated we’ll ask for contact information so we can speak with the person directly. In the end, we want each and every guest to have a variety of healthful food options, no matter their restrictions.
On Campus Dining Centers
Locations
Abel Dining Center
Updated in 2023, the Abel Dining Center has a number of market-style dining options. Offerings include a traditional cafeteria line, world's fare bar, a made-to-order grill line, a pizza/pasta line, salad bar, dessert bar, and full drink station . Accommodates around 540 guests at one time.
Cather Dining Center
Built in 2017, the Cather Dining Center has a number of market-style dining options. Offerings include a homestyle cafeteria line, world's fare line, a traditional grill line, a pizza/pasta bar, salad bar, dessert case, and a full drink station . Accommodates around 620 guests at one time.
East Campus Dining Center
Opened in 2020, the East Campus Dining Center has a number of market-style dining options. Offerings include a homestyle cafeteria line, a traditional grill line, a pizza/pasta bar, salad bar, dessert case, and a full drink station . Accommodates around 220 guests at one time. East Campus Dining typically serves groups that are staying in Massengale Residential Center.
Harper Dining Center
Harper Dining Center has a number of market-style dining options. Offerings include a traditional cafeteria line, the Harper Smokehouse (in-house smoked bbq), an 8+ allergy line (provides foods free from Milk, Eggs, Fish, Shellfish, Tree Nuts, Peanuts, Wheat and Soybean), a pizza/pasta line, salad bar, dessert bar, and full drink station, including freshmade coffee bar. Accommodates around 600 guests at one time.
Dining Hall Hours
Summer dining hall hours are subject to change each year and are typically finalized by May 1. Dining hall operations and hours are scheduled based on the needs of the groups staying on campus.
Dining halls typically offer three meals per day and close between meal periods. A typical schedule may look like:
- Breakfast: 6:30–8:30 a.m.
- Lunch: 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.
- Dinner: 5:00–7:00 p.m.
Each attendee may enter the dining hall once during each meal period. If your group requires meal times outside of the standard schedule, Conference Services can work with Dining to determine availability and provide a cost estimate for extended or adjusted dining hours.
Pricing
When purchased as part of a meal plan the individual meals are priced as follows:
- Breakfast = $9.25
- Lunch = $12.00
- Dinner = $14.00
All meals are “all-you-care-to-eat”. Menu options include fresh salad bars, comfort food, ethnic cuisine, and home-cooked favorites. A wide range of beverages and desserts are included.
Dining Service Policies
A guarantee number is due to Conference Services two weeks (10 business days) prior to the start of the event. If your event has a commuter meal plan a separate guarantee number for this plan should be submitted at the same time. This number will be used for food ordering, staffing, and preparation. Billing is based on the guarantee number or actual number, whichever is greater.
Conference Services will assign attendees to a specific dining hall based on the number of people attending the event and the number of people from other events eating in the dining halls.
Each attendee will be issued a meal tag. The meal tag is programmed to work only at the assigned dining hall and only for the meal plan created for the event. Each attendee is allowed one entry to the dining hall per meal period.
Only ice cream cones and refilled beverage containers (16 oz. or less) can be taken out of the dining hall. All other food and drink must be consumed in the dining hall.
To accommodate special guests of your event, we offer single-use meal tickets. Each event can be issued up to 20 per week of the event. A meal ticket is good for one person to eat any one meal. This meal doesn’t have to be designated in advance, so it offers ultimate flexibility. The final invoice will include the charges for the number of meal tickets used at the same rate as the meals that are part of the meal plan. Single-use meal tickets are available for guests who will join your group for an occasional meal and are billed at the Conference Services meal rate.
- Example: A guest speaker who joins your group for lunch but does not attend other meals would use a single-use meal ticket.
- Guests who will regularly eat meals with your group should be included in the group’s meal plan rather than using single-use meal tickets.
- Groups can request a maximum of 20 tickets per week
We offer each event the option of exempting one meal from their meal plan per week. This meal exemption should be requested at the time the contract is being generated. No attendees will be allowed access to the dining halls during the exempted meal and dining hall charges will be billed for that meal.
You can substitute an unlimited number of meals in the dining hall with meals provided by University Catering. The per person cost of the catered meal must be greater than the per person cost of the dining hall meal. For more information on catered meal please see the Catering section.