Zag Dining Presents… Campus Dining 101

By: Cheryl Kaine, Zag Dining

Welcome new Zag families! As Gonzaga’s food service provider, the Zag Dining team strives to give students the nourishment needed to succeed in school in a fresh, fun, community environment. Our comprehensive dining program offers quality, variety, and convenience. Our varied meal plans give each student the opportunity to choose the plan that is right for their needs. As incoming freshmen, your daughter or son will be picking a meal plan as part of their residency requirement. Whichever plan your student chooses, rest assured that they will have access to plenty of fresh, healthy food allowing them to focus on adjusting to college life, meeting new people, and successfully getting through their first year. If your student is concerned about making the right meal plan choice, keep in mind that unrestricted changes to their plan can be made by the first Friday of the fall semester.

Here are a few keys to mastering meal plans:

• Located in the new Hemmingson Center, the COG is the main dining facility and the heart of the meal plan program. With six unique restaurant-style platforms and menus that change daily, there’s plenty of variety. Students can enjoy as much or as little as they like on each visit. But don’t forget, for added variety, meal plans also come with Dining Dollars that can be used just like cash at all Zag Dining cafes across the Gonzaga campus.

• What’s for lunch? Our menus, complete with nutrition information, are posted each week on our website zagdining.sodexomyway.com. Look for the COG page under the Dining Choices tab.

• Meal plans are designed to provide sustenance for a semester. Students sometimes get attached to their Dining Dollars and may be reluctant to spend them down each semester. We think that’s a shame, because although they will roll over from fall to spring with the purchase of a spring plan, Dining Dollars expire for good each May. Remind your student to keep track of their balance on Zagweb and to make sure they get full use out of the Dining Dollars included with their meal plan each semester.

• Zag Dining is serious about food! Our talented team of professionals is here for your student. We love special requests; give us a recipe from back home and we’ll add it to the menu! Does your student need help with dietary restrictions or allergies?       We are skilled at accommodating the most challenging dietary needs. We are available in person, by phone, or by e-mail to help each and every Zag get acclimated to their new routine.

• Encourage your student to ask for what they want. Our kitchens have a Just Ask policy, and we mean it! Everyone has unique tastes, and we are happy to accommodate special requests or add items to the menu. Our menus are not carved in stone, and student feedback is the key to keeping our menus fresh. It’s easy to make a request: anyone can fill out a comment card in the COG; submit a message via the feedback link at zagdining.sodexomyway.com; or speak to a chef directly… just look for the tall paper hat!

• Keep in touch! Our program includes special student events, holiday meals, volunteer opportunities, nutrition and cooking classes, and deals and discounts throughout the year. Search “Zag Dining” on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram, and subscribe to our very own Zag Bites blog at zagdining.wordpress.com.

Our website, zagdining.sodexomyway.com, is a great resource: peruse our menus, meet our management team, or learn about upcoming events.  You can even treat your Zag to a freshly baked jar of cookies at our online store!  If you have further questions and would like to speak with us, please call us at 509-313-6906. Our summer office hours are Monday through Friday, 9am to 3pm, PST.

Zag Dining has been a proud partner of Gonzaga University for over 50 years. We welcome you and your student into the Zag family, and look forward to meeting you personally during orientation activities this fall. Until then, enjoy your summer!