Frequently Asked Questions - Dining
I want to plan a picnic for a group. Can Dining Services help me?
How do I sign up for a meal plan?
- Students living on campus will receive a meal plan with their contract from Housing and Dining Services. If you live in Jardine Terrace Apartments, Wiley Apartments and William's Place Apartments and would like to purchase a meal plan, please contact Judy Fleeker at Pittman Building 785-532-0321 or judylf@k-state.edu.
How do I change my meal plan?
- Students wishing to change their meal plan during the academic year may do so once during the first three weeks of each semester by completing a meal change form at the Pittman Building. Contact the Housing and Dining Services cashier's office in Pittman Building at 785-532-6453 for specific prorated amounts.
Will my meal plan work at any of the Dining Services locations?
- Meal plans provide all students living in the residence halls with the convenience of dining at Derby or Kramer Dining Centers. Only a limited number of transfers will be accepted at Van Zile due to the small size of the facility. Transfer requests to dine in Van Zile should be made prior to the meal by calling the Van Zile secretary at 785-523-6484. Students with an off-campus meal contract may dine in either Kramer or Derby Dining Centers.
When does my weekly meal plan start each week?
- Your meal plan is reset to its beginning weekly balance beginning Saturday at breakfast. The dining center checker will be glad to inform you of your meal balance for the week anytime after your card is swiped through the card reader.
What are guest/bonus meal passes, and how can I use them?
- Guest/bonus passes are complimentary meals credited to residents’ meal accounts. Six meal passes per semester are credited for 20-meal plans, four for 15-meal plans, and two for 10-meal plans. Residents may use up to two bonus meals beginning with the first meal of the semester. The balance of the bonus meals can be used after the meal plan change date has passed, about the third week of each semester. Unused passes will expire at the end of each semester, and cannot be carried over. Students who leave the residence hall before the end of the semester will forfeit any unused passes.
- Guest/bonus passes may be used by residents or their guest(s). To use a pass, residents simply need to tell the dining center checker they desire to use a guest/bonus meal. The checker will deduct passes from resident’s meal account. Passes can be used at any meal except: Thanksgiving (November), Holiday (December), and Spring Dinner (April).
What are HanDee Dollars?
- HanDee Dollars are a prepaid, declining blance account exclusive to Housing and Dining Services, for K-State residence hall and Jardine apartment residents. HanDee Dollars can be spent on anything (meals, drinks, movies, slushies, cookies…you get the picture!) at K-State Housing and Dining Services locations. Locations include: Derby, Kramer, and Van Zile Dining Centers, T•H•E Bakery, Jardine laundry facilities, and all Quik Cats student store locations.
When are the dining centers open?
- The hours for Derby, Kramer and Van Zile dining centers are posted on the printed menu in each dining center and on this website. Meal times will vary depending upon the cuisine you choose to eat.
What happens if I lost/misplaced my ID? How do I eat?
- It makes a difference if you truly lost your ID, with no hope of finding it, or if you simply misplaced it or left it at home when you were there for the weekend.
- If you misplaced your ID card, you can utilize one of your five grace key-ins per semester. Simply provide your social security number to the dining center checker and show another form of picture ID. Remember, you can only use this service five times per semester. For security reasons (because your door access card is not in your possession) your door access will be turned off. You must go to Pittman building to have your access restored (open Monday–Friday from 8:00 A.M.–5:00 P.M.). You cannot restore door access via the phone.
- If you lost your ID, you should purchase a new one at the ID Center in the K-State Student Union, and have it activated at Pittman Building during normal business hours. While you are in the process of purchasing a new ID, you will be issued a temporary dining pass, valid until 4:00 P.M. the following day. Dining room and residence hall door access will be removed from your card so it cannot be used by another person. If you find your ID before you obtain a new one and after it has been inactivated by Dining Services, you may get it reactivated. To reactivate the ID, go to Pittman Building or the ID Center in the K-State Student Union. To reduce the chance of someone using your card, report that your ID is lost as soon as possible.
If I don’t eat all my meals, can my friends eat them, or can I receive a refund?
- Meals may not be transferred from one student to another or to a guest. There is good news, meal-plan pricing is established with the historically-based knowledge that students will be busy with classes, work, sport/social activities, etc., and will miss some meals. In other words, meal plans are priced assuming students will miss approximately 30% of meals.
- If you are absent due to an official college assignment for seven or more consecutive days as a requirement for official credit coursework, you are eligible to have the raw food cost refunded for those days of absence. Application for the refund should be made in advance of the absence. If you are absent due to illness for more than eight consecutive days, the raw food cost portion of your meal plan can be refunded for all full days after the first eight. Application for refund must be made within two weeks of the last date of illness, and requires a doctor’s statement explaining the reason for the absence.
Can my friends accompany me to the dining rooms if they are not eating?
- Although we want your dining experience to be a time of fellowship with your friends, we do not allow nonpaying guests or residents not using a meal swipe to accompany you to the dining facility. Your friends are always welcome to purchase a cash meal or you may use one of your bonus meals for them to dine with you.
Can I take my meal with me?
- Of course. Each dining location offers “Dashers”—which is the in-house name for take-out meals. At Derby Dining you may go through “B” line, and at Kramer and Van Zile please ask the checker for disposable serviceware. All Dashers meals at Kramer and Van Zile must be consumed outside the dining rooms. Breakfast and lunch Dashers meals at Derby must also be consumed outside of the dining rooms. However, at dinner a Derby Dashers meal may be eaten in “B” dining room until 7:00 p.m.
- Keep in mind that safe food-handling procedures should be followed once your meal leaves our dining facility. The dining center cannot be responsible for food-borne illnesses due to improper handling occurring after food has left the facility. If you have questions about how to handle food safely, please ask any of the dining center management staff.
What if I have a medical-related dietary restriction or a food allergy?
- All Dining Services locations are staffed with registered and licensed dietitians that are readily available to assist residents following a medically necessary diet plan. The dietitian in your facility will be happy to help you plan your diet and locate the appropriate foods within the dining center to keep you healthy and safe. Also, nutrition information is available on the daily menu pages and on most point-of-sale menu item cards to further assist you in managing your diet.
- Please recognize that the ingredients and nutritional content of food items served in the dining centers may vary. Manufacturers may change their product formulation or consistency of ingredients without our knowledge, and product availability may fluctuate. While we make every effort to identify ingredients, we cannot assure against these contingencies. It is, therefore, ultimately the responsibility of the student or resident to judge whether or not to question ingredients or choose to eat selected foods. For questions regarding ingredients, please consult a Dining Services dietitian at any time.
If I am sick, can I still obtain a meal?
- Residents who are ill may get take out meals during regular meal hours with written orders from your Residence Life coordinator. The meal may be picked up by a roommate/friend/staff by presenting the signed order form and ID card of the ill resident at the entrance checker stand.
How do I go back for seconds?
- Seconds are available on all menu items. Because we want your food dollar to be spent on food actually consumed (and not food thrown away), we solicit your help to keep waste to a minimum. For seconds on a food item, please return to the line of choice after you have consumed the first helping. Thank you!
Where are the menus located?
- For your convenience, daily menus are posted on this website and in the dining centers.
How can I get a job with Dining Services?
- Dining Services accepts applications year round for student positions. Applications can be downloaded from this website or picked up at any of our locations. Turn the completed application in to the location in which you wish to work. The employment coordinator for that location will contact you about available positions. If there are no open positions, the application will be kept on file until the end of the semester.
I really like the Baked Potato Soup. How can I get a copy of the recipe?
- We have no secret recipes, and are always happy to pass along to students those that are their favorites—including the Baked Potato Soup recipe.
- Many of our recipes set for home-sized portions are available here on our website.
- There are some problems in sharing large-quantity recipes, however. We use a computer program to calculate all recipes in decimal equivalents of a pound. In other words, we weigh all ingredients, down to four decimal places. It is easy to pass along a recipe that specifies 0.0023 lbs. of fresh basil, but it is nearly impossible for the home cook to know exactly how much basil to use. There is a great deal of difficulty involved in taking a recipe designed for 800 servings, and reducing it to a recipe for eight servings. With that said, not all of our recipes are available in home-sized versions. Please contact staff if you wish to have a copy of a recipe.
Who do I call if I have questions?
- If you call the administrative assistant in your dining center, they can help direct you to the right person to answer your questions.
- Derby Dining Center call Belinda or Barb at 785-532-6483
- Kramer Dining Center call Sherry at 785-532-6482
- Van Zile Dining Center call Therese at 785-532-6484