Residence Hall Handbook
Dining Services Policies
Dining Services at K-State provides students with a variety of convenient dining options that offer contemporary, great-tasting and nutritious meals.
Our dining program has been recognized by the National Association of College and University Food Services (NACUFS) for having the best daily menus in the nation. Dining Services has also earned several of NACUFS' top awards for special event dinners, nutrition education initiatives and the best recipe using locally grown foods. We've won the National Frozen Food Association grand prize distinction three times for creativity shown in using fruits, vegetables and other frozen foods. Dining Services has nabbed several top awards in industry-sponsored national recipe competitions as well.
Another notable aspect of our operations is the source of several of our ingredients. How many university dining operations do you know that are able to get beef and milk supplies from their own campus? Thanks to Weber and Call halls, we can! We also obtain locally grown fresh produce when available. Lean more about our sustainability efforts .
Menus
Menus are written by a committee of registered dietitians and management staff with input from residents. A file of more than 8,000 recipes is continuously updated by a research and development team that gleans the best ideas from the marketplace, modern cookbooks and stylish food publications. Talented staff, creative recipes and a from-scratch production system supports a menu that represents the quality expectations of an award-winning dining program. Menus never repeat exactly the same food item selections. Weekly menus are posted online.
Breakfast features a hot entrée and continental selections including hot and cold cereal, toast, bagels, homemade muffins and coffee cakes, fruit and yogurt, Call Hall milk and a variety of juices and beverages.
Lunch and dinner menus include traditional entrées and a variety of specialty-line options. Menu selections also include such items as hot side dishes, homemade soup, freshly prepared salads from a salad bar, fruit, ice cream, beverages, homemade cookies, cakes and other desserts. Our all-you-care-to-eat model allows you to get all the fuel you need to support your active university lifestyle. To avoid waste, however, we ask that you take what you want, but eat what you take.
On-The-Go Meals
When you need to take your meal with you, On-the-Go Meals are available at scheduled times during the day in Kramer and Derby dining centers. These portable, convenient meals are available with your campus meal plan. To take advantage of On-the-Go Meals, please review the process for obtaining an OTG meal and declare to the checker your wish to take an On-the-Go Meal instead of dining in upon entry. An On-the-Go Meal replaces your dine-in meal for that swipe, and may not be eaten inside the dining center.
Meal Hours
Meal hours are posted in the residence halls and dining centers, and online . Dining times may vary between dining centers. Hours may be adjusted in response to inclement weather or other emergencies. Please enjoy your meal in the dining room — unless you choose the On-the-Go option, we request that no food items be taken from the dining rooms.
Special Diets and Needs
All Dining Services locations are staffed with registered and licensed dietitians who are available to assist residents following a medically necessary diet plan. The dietitian in your facility will be happy to help you plan your meals and locate the appropriate foods within the dining center to keep you healthy and safe. Also, nutrition information is available for each item featured on the daily menu pages to further assist you.
Students who live in our residence halls and anticipate the need to follow a medically necessary diet plan should complete our allergy accommodations form along with their physician. The student can then request a meeting with a dietitian at their dining center and provide them with the completed accommodations form.
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 ultimately your responsibility to determine whether to question ingredients or eat selected foods. Please note that we may not be able to accommodate all food allergies. Housing and Dining Services cannot guarantee the safety of students with life threatening allergies.
Dining Center Entry
When community health guidelines allow, residents enter our dining centers using a biometric screening process. This system will scan your finger and match it with your Wildcat ID Card, then deduct a meal from your meal plan. It will make meal times faster and more efficient, and you will no longer need to worry about locating your ID card for every meal. How it works: A random number sequence, which identifies your finger's pressure points, will be tied to your WID. These numbers are only applicable to our system, and no image of your actual fingerprint is stored. To sign up for biometric screening, visit your dining center office. Your K-State ID does serve as a meal card and can also be used to gain access.
Meal Plans
Each meal plan has been priced assuming some meals will not be eaten. Meals are not refundable and not credited from one week to another because the overall price is less than the cost of every available meal. Unused meals cannot be transferred to another resident who has run out of meals during a given week. Students can increase their meal plan at any time throughout the year. Meal plans can be decreased once each semester, no later than Sept. 15 for fall and Feb. 15 for spring.
Guests
Students' friends, parents or other guests are welcome when community health guidelines allow. Guests may pay the cash meal price at the checker's stand or use a student's guest passes to visit our dining centers.
Guest passes are added to residents' meal accounts each semester. Residents may use their bonus guest meal passes as soon as the semester begins. Unused passes will expire at the end of each semester and cannot be carried over. No refunds are made for unused bonus meal passes. Students who leave the residence halls before the end of the semester will forfeit unused passes. Passes can be used at any meal except Fall Dinner (November), Holiday Dinner (December), and Spring Dinner (March or April). Guest tickets for special dinners must be purchased at least 24 hours in advance from the dining center office.
Dining Room Decorum
We want students to enjoy themselves while dining with friends and guests. Because others will sit at the same tables throughout the meal period, we ask that students be courteous and leave the dining area as tidy as possible.
For safety reasons, shoes and shirts must be worn in the dining centers. All dining centers are smoke-free. Additional requirements may apply.