Dining Services Guide

Smith College Dining Services is committed to providing outstanding customer service and the highest quality food to all students and guests. We do this by:

  • embracing Smith’s traditions while keeping current with global dining trends.
  • supporting our community by providing flexibility and variety, accommodating dietary requirements based on medical need, and sourcing food from local farms and businesses.
Key Features of Smith Dining
  • Comprehensive Meal Plan: All residential students are enrolled in a full, all-you-care-to-eat board plan. This includes:
    • 5 meal swipes per day in the dining rooms or retail café (as a meal equivalency) using your OneCard.
    • Access to breakfast, lunch, and dinner, seven days a week.
    • $110 Dining Dollars per semester.
  • Flexibility and Variety:
    • Students can eat at any open dining location, choosing based on convenience or menu preference.
    • Menus vary by location.
    • Meals are served buffet-style, pre-order, or Grab & Go, depending on the location.
    • Salad bars are available at most locations.
    • Grab & Go breakfast, lunch, and snack options are available at Chapin House Monday through Friday.
    • Grab & Go snacks are available at Chase House for pickup during mealtime.
    • Friday afternoon tea in each house is a popular tradition.
  • Sustainable Practices: Smith College Dining Services is committed to supporting sustainability with a focus on three key areas: local and sustainable foods; waste reduction through composting and recycling; and responsible use of resources through purchasing and operations.
    • Swiping your OneCard for each meal helps forecast demand and reduce food waste.
    • Students are expected to compost leftover food from their plates.
    • Kitchens collect food scraps and unusable leftovers for compost.
    • Students are encouraged to minimize paper product waste and recycle.
    • Smith is a proud supporter of CISA (Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture), which strengthens local agriculture by building connections between farmers and the community.
Dietary Needs & Accommodations

Smith Dining recognizes that there are many students who have special dietary needs due to food allergies, intolerances, and other medical conditions. Our goal is to provide an inclusive dining experience that is safe and enjoyable for all students. Visit the Dietary Needs & Accommodations webpage to:

Allergen Icons/Allergen Labeling at Smith College Dining Services

Tree nut, soybean, shellfish, peanut, milk, fish, egg, coconut, wheat/gluten, and sesame are labeled in the dining rooms with the following icons:

Food allergy labels, in order: tree nut (acorn symbol on dark green), soybean (beanpod on light green background), shellfish (shrimp on peach-colored background), peanut (peanut on dark brown background), milk (milk bottle on light blue background), fish (fish on pink background), egg (cracked egg on orange background), coconut (coconut on light brown background), wheat/gluten (wheat sheaf on yellow background), and sesame (seeds on tan background)
Specialized Dining Locations
Dining Location Allergen Information Lifestyle/Spiritual Comments
Lamont Free of gluten, the top nine most common allergens (wheat, egg, milk, soy, sesame, tree nuts, peanut, shellfish, fish) Halal meats Open to all students with a meal plan; ARC process not required (though via an ARC process, Lamont may be designated as meeting a student’s accommodation need)

Offers an area with breakfast items and snacks accessible 24 hours daily
Dawes Free of gluten, peanuts, and tree nuts   Special access is required and is based on medical need—students must be registered with the Accessibility Resource Center
Cutter/Ziskind   Kosher dining option is available

Halal meats		  
Gillett   Vegetarian, often with vegan options All dining locations across campus offer vegetarian or vegan entree options at every meal
Tyler, King, Cutter, Chase Dedicated refrigerator that contains only gluten-free products   Snack option are available 24 hours daily for students with meal plan
Religious Accommodations: Kosher and Halal Dining
Important Policies & Information
  • Access: Students must swipe their Smith OneCard for each meal.
  • Guest Swipes: Students receive 8 guest meal swipes per year. 
  • Residential Kitchenettes: Students must provide their own utensils for use in these spaces.
  • Dining Room Usage/Meeting Space: Due to limited seating, large meetings should not be scheduled in dining rooms. Student groups may reserve space for the Duckett House special dining rooms by submitting an online request form. 
  • Five College Meal Plan: Students attending classes or activities at other Five College campuses can complete a Five College Meal Request Form to eat at that campus.
  • Student Employment: Dining Services offers student employment opportunities. Contact the Dining Service office (ext. 2300) or check Workday for openings.
  • Reusable dishes and silverware may not be removed from dining facilities. Disposable dishware and utensils are available at each location.
For More Information