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In The News: Dining to Develop Plant-Based Cafe

The idea of a plant-based café on campus was first brought forth to Dining by Maddie Pickett, a fourth-semester biomedical engineering major. Dining created a survey to see what students at Storrs thought of the idea and many were in favor of seeing this idea come to fruition.
 
This new venture for the fall will involve students through the entire development process and also provide dining with more opportunities to support CT farms, in particular, our student-run Spring Valley Farm.
 
Stay tuned! Next steps are to create a mission statement, invite students to share their favorite plant-based recipes, and then test some of these recipes with students in our innovation lab. Check out the article in the UConn Daily Campus http://bit.ly/3jkh2Ho

Dining Hall & Retail Changes Beginning Jan 31st

With the Spring semester quarantine period ending soon, the following changes will take place:

Dining Hall Updates

  • Indoor seating begins Feb. 1st
  • Buckley & North will transition to quarantine-only units on Monday, Feb. 1st. Both units are take-out only.
  • Swiping in another UConn student (that has been COVID tested) with a Flex Pass is allowed as of Feb 1st; Swipe in’s are not allowed at Buckley and North
  • Late Night Dining at McMahon and Northwest starts Sunday, Jan. 31st (Sunday through Thursday both units are open for dinner until 10pm)

Retail Updates

  • Locations in the Student Union will have expanded hours starting Feb. 1st
  • Up and Atom Cafe, Mango*, and Bookworms Cafe will reopen Feb. 1st
  • Dairy Bar Too will reopen on Feb. 8th
  • Dairy Bar will reopen on Wednesday, Feb. 3rd, with online ordering and curbside service. Hours will be from 12:00 -5:00pm;
    please place orders by 4:30pm.

*Mango will be closing early on Monday, Feb. 1st & Tuesday, Feb. 2nd at 2:30pm due to the Rec Center closing early (4pm) for student staff training

Stay Up To Date with Dining through our social accounts or through the myUConn App. Dining has an opt-in channel on the app to receive notifications for important information and updates.

Just Ask

  • If you have a dietary request –“Just Ask”
  • If you are looking for a particular item, and don’t see it-“Just Ask”
  • If you are vegan or vegetarian and are looking for a different menu option –“Just Ask”
  • If you are looking for a slight modification to a menu item, “Just Ask:  if it is possible, we will do our best to accommodate your request.
  • If there is anything else, “Just Ask” for a manager and we will be happy to assist.

Reminder of our Dining Guidelines

 

Order from Catering Curbside for the Superbowl

Now that the teams are set, time to focus on the best part, the food!

UConn Catering (a division of Dining Services) has what you need to watch the big game!

Here are a few great game-day items:

  • Buffalo Chicken Dip
  • Jumbo Buffalo Chicken Wings
  • Meatballs (marinara or stroganoff)
  • Complete Meals for 6 people (chicken, beef brisket, pulled pork)
  • Mac & Cheese trays that serve 15 (Buffalo Chicken or Four Cheese)
  • Vegetarian Chili
  • Hot Hors d’oeuvres assortment pack

All hot items can also be picked up cold for reheating.

See website for full menu and details.

Place your order today at https://bit.ly/CateringCurbside

Please provide a 72-hour notice; pick up available 7 days a week.

Follow Catering on Facebook at facebook.com/UConnuniversitycatering

Gelfenbien Grab & Window Opens On Jan 16th

Gelfebien Grab & Go window will reopen on Saturday, Jan 16th for the Spring semester with continuous service. For Spring, specialty dinner bars, Friday through Sunday, have been added to the menu.

Monday – Friday

  • Breakfast: 7:00am-11:00am
  • Lunch: 11:00am-4:00pm
  • Dinner: 4:00pm-7:00pm

Saturday & Sunday

  • Brunch: 12 noon-4:00pm
  • Dinner: 4:00pm-7:00pm

Week 1 Menus: Starts the week of Jan 25th

Week 2 Menus: Starts the week of Jan 18-24

Food Truck Moves to East Campus for Spring Semester

For the Spring semester, the Food for Thought Food Truck will be located Whitney Dining Hall offering an expanded menu, including daily specials, and accepting meal plan swipes.

Hours: Monday-Friday; 11am-6pm (weather permitting); open January 19th-April 9th

Points, cash, Husky Bucks, and credit/debit cards will also be accepted.

More details and menu at https://dining.uconn.edu/foodforthought/

Spring Semester Updates & Important Reminders

Spring Semester

Updates & Important Reminders

    • Spring meal plan begins Saturday, January 16th – dining hall hours
    • South, McMahon, Putnam, North, Northwest, and Buckley will be open to all students for take-out only from 1/16-1/31
    • All Dining Halls mentioned above will be open normal hours on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Mon., Jan. 18th
    • Buckley & North will transition to quarantine-only units on February 1st
    • Gelfenbien take-out window opens on Saturday, January 16th
    • There will be no indoor seating until February 1st
    • Late Night Dining at McMahon and Northwest begins on Sunday, January 31st
    • The Food for Thought Food Truck will be stationed behind Whitney Dining Hall (opening 1/19/21) for the Spring semester serving lunch & dinner – meal swipes and other forms of payment accepted
    • Retail hours for the quarantine period and spring semester
    • Dairy Bar will reopen on Wednesday, Feb. 3 for online orders with curbside pick up
    • Deadline to downgrade your meal plan is Friday, February 5th. You can upgrade your plan at any point in the semester.
    • You cannot swipe in another UConn student into a dining hall during campus-wide quarantine periods or any point into a quarantine-only dining unit.
    • Dining Guidelines during COVID-19
    • Food allergy or intolerance? Click here for more info.

Stay informed throughout the semester and review our updates and COVID FAQs here.

    Flex Passes

    Flex Passes will be taken in all of our open cafes, with the exception of Market Cafe – located in the Student Union. The meal equivalency of a Flex Pass is $7.00. When you are at that cafe, multiple, separate Flex Passes can be used. If you choose to only use one Flex Pass and your order is over $7.00 you will need to pay the balance with cash, credit/debit card, Husky Bucks or points. There is no limit on the number of times you use a Flex Pass during the day. SWIPING IN GUESTS: Please note that during COVID-19 swiping in guests to the dining hall with your Flex Passes is limited to UConn students (that have been tested for COVID-19). You are not able to swipe in another UConn student during campus-wide quarantine periods or at any point in a quarantine-only dining unit.

    Points

    Points can be used during all hours of operation at our retail locations: Union Street Market Food Court outlets, Market Cafe, Mango, The Beanery Cafe, Up & Atom Cafe, Bookworms, Dairy Bar Too, One Plate, Two Plates, Earth, Wok & Fire, and the Food for Thought Food Truck. Points may also be used to purchase guest meals in the dining units. 

    Just Ask

    If you have a dietary request –“Just Ask”

    If you are looking for a particular item, and don’t see it-“Just Ask”

    If you are vegan or vegetarian and are looking for a different menu option –“Just Ask”

    If you are looking for a slight modification to a menu item, “Just Ask:  if it is possible, we will do our best to accommodate your request.

    If there is anything else, “Just Ask” for a manager and we will be happy to assist.

    Order from Catering for Weeknight or Holiday Meals

    Let Catering do the cooking for your weeknight or holiday meals!

    New items have been added to the store
    https://bit.ly/CateringCurbside

    Hot Hors d’oeuvres
    Scallop Wrapped Bacon with Maple Pepper Glaze
    Petite Beef Wellington
    Chicken & Asiago Cheese Blossoms
    Hot Hors d’oeuvres assortment tray
    Jumbo Buffalo Chicken Wings

    Baked Sliced Honey Ham Complete Meal for 6

    Chocolate-Dipped Peppermint Brownie Bars
    Assorted Chocolate Truffles

    Four-Cheese Macaroni & Cheese
    Buffalo Chicken Macaroni & Cheese

    Place your order today! 72 hours notice required; pick up 7 days a week

    McMahon Dining Hall Closed For Thanksgiving

    McMahon Dining Hall will be closed on Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 26th so that our staff can enjoy the holiday with their families.

    On Wednesday evening (11/25/20), McMahon will have stations for those on the winter meal plan to pick up breakfast, lunch, and a complete Thanksgiving dinner to have for Thursday.

    McMahon will reopen on Friday, November 27th, normal operating hours.

     

    TAKE OUT ONLY

    Regular Winter Break Students 

    • Breakfast: 7:00am-8:30am
    • Lunch: 11:00am-12:15pm
    • Dinner: 4:00pm-5:30pm

    Quarantine Students (Nov 22-Dec 5) 

    • Breakfast: 8:45am-10am
    • Lunch: 12:30pm-2:15pm
    • Dinner: 5:45pm-7:15pm

    In The News: Bakery Reflects on Thanksgiving Sale

     

    Eric Merkle, bakery manager in the department of dining services, spoke about the Thanksgiving bake sale held by the University of Connecticut in preparation for the upcoming holiday.

    Merkle said they held the sale through a completely online format. In particular, he said they used the dining marketplace on their official website.

    “We did the bake sale 100% online this year through the dining marketplace on our dining.uconn.edu page,” Merkle said.

    Merkle said the results of the bake sale were surprising to him as they were better than he expected them to be. He believes this is due to the fact that people are becoming more comfortable with buying food online.

    Read the full article from The Daily Campus here.