On Friday, October 18th, Dining Services will participate in its 2nd annual Pink Out Day to support breast cancer awareness and research by wearing pink ribbons and/or pink clothing. We invite the campus community to join in and show their support.

Pink Out Day Specials on Friday, Oct 18th

Retail Cafes (Storrs Campus) – Receive a free pink ribbon sugar cookie made by the UConn Bakery if you are wearing pink or a pink ribbon. While supplies last.

Mango – Pink Drink smoothie – Strawberries, Greek yogurt & coconut milk, 20 oz drink, 17g of protein, $7.75; Mango is also handing out pink ribbon sugar cookies and breast cancer awareness bracelets to anyone wearing pink/pink ribbon – while supplies last; Mango Mike will make an appearance around noon.

One Plate, Two Plates – Pretty In Pink Salad – available all month; This salad is a great balance of creamy and crunchy with spinach, chopped strawberries, raspberries, cranberries, diced avocado, crumbled goat cheese, strawberry poppyseed dressing, and roasted pepitas. $7.25

McMahon – McMahon will be hosting a cancer awareness lunch; each station will represent a different cancer ribbon color and that color will be represented in the entree.

Dining Halls – All dining halls will have pink ribbon sugar cookies made by the bakery as a dessert option at lunch on Oct. 18th. While supplies last.

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The National Association of College & University Food Services (NACUFS) announced UConn Dining Services as the recipient of a distinguished NACUFS Nutrition Award. Dining Services received gold in the category of Best Special Diet Recipe. The NACUFS Nutrition Awards recognize the outstanding nutrition and wellness programs implemented within collegiate food service programs to meet the needs of a dynamic student population.

The winning recipe, Butternut Cauliflower Creamy Pasta Bake, is gluten-free and vegan and a favorite among students.

“We have always been very proud of our dietary program here at UConn Dining Services and have seen a huge increase in the number of students diagnosed with dietary needs and food allergies, says Robert Landolphi Assistant Director of Culinary Development for UConn Dining Services. “In 2001 we had around 20 students with food allergies, and we now have well over 1200 students with dietary needs and allergens, about ten percent of our meal plan population. Tracking food allergies and dietary needs has assisted us in adjusting recipes and our menus in residential dining, retail, and catering to meet the ever-changing needs of the students and community members who dine with us. We appreciate all our customers and take the steps to source safe ingredients used to prepare delicious allergy-friendly dishes.”

NACUFS member institutions across North America submitted entries in three categories – Wellness and Nutrition Program of the Year, Special Diet Program of the Year, and Special Diet Recipe of the Year.

UConn Dining has received over 20 awards from NACUFS in the last 15 years for recipes, dining hall renovations, gluten-free options, culinary challenges, catering, and sustainability initiatives.

Want to try the recipe at home? Find a printable recipe and demo at dining.uconn.edu/recipes.

The National Association of College & University Food Services was founded in 1958 by a group of college and university foodservice professionals from across the United States. Since its inception, NACUFS has focused on its mission to support and promote excellence in collegiate dining by providing members with the programs and resources they need to excel, from benchmarking and best practices to educational programming and professional networking.

NACUFS institutional members range from private colleges to large public universities, including two-year and four-year institutions, spanning the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and beyond. Industry members include food and equipment manufacturers, distributors, brokers, food service support companies, councils, boards, trade associations, advisory commissions and other professional groups. For more information, visit NACUFS.org.

Summer dining hours and meal plans begin Monday, May 6th.

Please review all summer details at dining.uconn.edu/summer.

PASSOVER 2024 – NOSH Kosher Kitchen in Gelfenbien Dining Commons and UConn Hillel House will be serving Passover meals from Monday, April 22nd – Tuesday, April 30th by reservation only.

Visit dining.uconn.edu/passover-meals for more information and meal sign-up.

All eight of our dining halls have recently achieved the highest level of certification from the Green Restaurant Association (GRA). UConn is the only campus in the United States to have every dining hall become four-star certified.

To achieve certification, UConn Dining had to meet several GRA requirements, including the implementation of sustainable practices in the following areas:

• Energy Use
• Water Efficiency
• Waste Reduction
• Reusables & Disposables
• Chemical and Pollution Reduction
• Food
• Buildings & Furnishings
• Education & Transparency

The GRA is a nonprofit organization that works to create an environmentally sustainable restaurant industry by helping restaurants become more environmentally responsible. Their standards reflect over 30 years of research in the field of restaurants and the environment.

The purpose of the GRA standards is to provide a transparent way to measure each restaurant’s environmental accomplishments, while providing a pathway for the next steps they can take to increase their environmental sustainability. Restaurants can earn GreenPoints™ in any of the eight categories below.  To become a Certified Green Restaurant®, enough GreenPoints™ must be earned across the categories.

UConn Dining has implemented several sustainable practices over the years, including trayless dining to reduce food waste and water usage, measuring pre-consumer waste, sending waste to be transformed into biogas and compost, and recycling cooking oil. Dining is also the largest procurer of local produce in Connecticut.

Below are just some of the practices that have been implemented in each category to achieve a four-star rating:

• Energy Use – All dining rooms now have LED lighting, purchase Energy Star equipment as replacements and have installed strip curtains in all refrigeration and freezers to reduce energy loss.
• Water Efficiency – Water use is calibrated for the appropriate job including sink aeration, low flow sprayers and dish washers.
• Waste Reduction – UConn Dining uses china/glass/silver for meal service rather than disposable wares. Bulk packaging is used for over 80% of condiments, salt & pepper, etc.
• Reusables & Disposables – Disposable products are made with a high content of recyclable materials and are bleach free.
• Chemical and Pollution Reduction – Green Seal cleaning products are used in all operations. No idling policies are in place for the loading docks and smoking is designated to be at least 25’ away from buildings.
• Food – UConn Dining serves a high percentage of vegan and vegetarian foods throughout the menu.
• Buildings & Furnishings – Paints, coatings and building materials in renovations have low VOC, are high in recycled content and the construction debris is recycled.
• Education & Transparency – The UConn Dining website and every dining hall has information about the Green Restaurant Association and proudly displays the star awards.

In addition, three of UConn’s Dining Halls have recently received awards from the Green Restaurant Association.

• Putnam Dining Hall – winner of the 2023 Chemical and Pollution Reduction Award for being the Certified Green Restaurant® with the most GreenPoints™ in the Chemicals Category with 60.26 GreenPoints™.
• Whitney Dining Hall – winner of the 2023 Waste Reduction Award for being the Certified Green Restaurant® with the most GreenPoints™ in the Waste Category with 78.85 GreenPoints™.
• McMahon Dining – winner of the 2023 Water Conservation Award for being the Certified Green Restaurant® with the most GreenPoints™ in the Water Category with 44.29 GreenPoints™.

UConn Dining has also received recognition for its sustainable practices from other organizations, including the Sustainable Foodservice Leaders Award from the National Association of College and University Food Services and the Environmental Protection Agency’s Food Recovery Challenge Award.

To learn more about more about the GRA points that each dining hall has achieved visit https://dining.uconn.edu/certified-green/

DINING HALL HOURS – End of the Semester

Dining halls will have normal hours through May 4th.

Planning Ahead? Holiday and break hours for the dining halls are posted at the start of every semester on our hours page.

Looking for summer dining hall info?

RETAIL LOCATION HOURS

Retail hours from April 28th through May 7th

The annual Earth Day Spring Fling, co-hosted by the UConn Office of Sustainability and UConn Dining Services, will take place Wednesday, April 19th on Fairfield Way from 11am-2pm. The sustainability festival will include vendors, fun activities, and a Zero Waste BBQ catered by Dining Services.

The Zero Waste BBQ from Dining will feature vegan, vegetarian, and sustainable menu items that have been locally sourced. Lunch will cost one flex pass or $12 credit/debit. The meal cost will include a small ice cream from the UConn Dairy Bar truck that will be on site. UConn Bakery will also be on Fairfield Way handing out cupcakes decorated with a BBQ theme (while supplies last).

See below for menu and schedule. Make sure to sign up & sign a waiver for outdoor yoga at sustainability.uconn.edu/earth-day-spring-fling

DINING HALL HOURS FOR EASTER WEEKEND | APRIL 7-9, 2023

Planning Ahead? Holiday and break hours for the dining halls are posted at the start of every semester on our hours page.

RETAIL LOCATION HOURS FOR EASTER WEEKEND | APRIL 7-9, 2023

Union Street Market:

• Friday – Closing at 10pm
• Saturday – Closing at 9pm
• Sunday – 1:30-9pm

C-Store – normal hours

• Friday – 9am-9:30pm
• Saturday – Noon-9pm
• Sunday – Noon-9pm

Mango

• Friday – Normal hours 8am-7pm
• Saturday & Sunday – Closed

Bookworms Cafe

• Friday – Normal hours 7:30am-3pm
• Saturday & Sunday – Closed

Market Cafe

• Friday – Normal hours 7:30am-3pm
• Saturday – Normal hours 9am-4pm
• Sunday – Closed

Dairy Bar

• Friday – 11am-7pm
• Saturday – 11am-7pm
• Sunday – Closed