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College is complicated enough; enjoying a meal at the resident dining hall doesn’t have to be! Choosing meals can present undue anxiety for the growing number of students who arrive on college campuses with food allergies or gluten intolerance. Last year alone, Zag Dining chefs worked personally with nearly 200 students with a variety of dietary needs and restrictions. To meet these challenges, Zag Dining’s menus and programs are designed with the varied needs of today’s college students in mind, and our professional staff work hard to exceed student expectations every day. We offer the following programs to help students stay healthy and on track.

Simple Servings Station: Located in the Marketplace at the BARC, Simple Servings provides fresh meals prepared with minimally processed ingredients. Simple Servings is open to all students, so those with food allergies or other dietary concerns are not singled out. All foods offered at the Simple Serving station are prepared exclusively with ingredients which do not contain the following foods: milk, eggs, wheat, soy, shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts (such as walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, almonds and cashews) and gluten-containing ingredients. The lunch and dinner menus change daily and include a variety of protein options (fish, beef, pork, chicken and turkey) and vegetarian dishes. Zag Dining staff members are also carefully trained to avoid crosscontact of menu items. Separate equipment, storage areas, utensils, and preparation areas minimize the chances of gluten and other allergens in dining and retail spaces.

Specialty Foods: Is your student committed to a vegan or vegetarian diet? At the Marketplace at the BARC, menus include vegan and vegetarian options at every meal, every day. Students can look for the square VG and V icons at each station, or they can help themselves to convenient specialty items like Tofurky and non-dairy milks in the specialty foods cooler. Selections in the cooler vary and evolve with student tastes and preferences. Students can fill out a comment card or simply ask a chef or manager for the special food they are craving, and we will do our best to provide it.

Registered Dietitian: Zag Dining is committed to enhancing the health and wellness of all students, faculty and staff members on campus. Individuals with food allergies, intolerances, and medical conditions, as well as any student with nutritional questions or concerns, will have access to a Registered Dietitian, where their individual dietary needs can be safely addressed. Please reach out to Campus Executive Chef Thomas Morrisette (Thomas.morrisette@sodexo.com), Resident Dining Manager Dan Harris (Daniel.Harris@sodexo.com), or any member of our management team for information and access to Sodexo registered dietitians.

We are dedicated to feeding Zags, and we love a challenge! If your student has any questions or concerns about the food and dining options available on campus, we would love to hear from them. Our chefs and managers are always available to personally talk with students to help get them comfortable with life on campus, and to provide as much guidance and support as necessary. After all, your student has more important things to worry about than what’s for dinner.

For more information about Zag Dining’s program, please visit zagdining.sodexomyway.com

2 Comments

  1. Krista-

    Thanks for your comments. At Parent orientation dining will also be hosting an informational session you can attend to learn more about all they have to offer for your daughter.

    Thanks-
    Amy Swank

  2. Krista McIntyre

    This is so great. Our daughter is gluten and dairy intolerant and finding food other than salad has been a challange. She will be so happy to find a allergy friendly place to eat with others with the same concerns.