Parents

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As classes begin on campus, the Lafayette Dining team is implementing rigorous safety, sanitation and service measures to ensure students can dine with us safely across campus in a regular dining fashion.

Indoor seating will be available across campus. Self-serve buffets and salad bars will be open for students to help themselves. There will be a mixture of pre-made and made-to-order items. Our Eco Clamshell take out program will be available for those who’d like to take available food offerings to-go.

These measures have been developed based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), health and sanitation experts from our company’s Coronavirus Response Team, local health regulations and the Administration’s input:

• COVID-19-specific training for all dining staff designed by sanitation experts and updated regularly as new issues emerge. Topics covered include proper disinfection, the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), physical distancing protocols, and more, and are integrated with food safety and sanitation protocols.
• COVID-19 vaccination of dining staff, in conjunction with the college’s campus-wide vaccine policy.
• Decision tree and step-by-step action plan for unit managers who have employees who are sick or who may have had contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19.
• Employees will follow the College masking policy.
• Amped-up cleaning and sanitation schedules with clearly detailed procedures that meet or exceed all local guidelines and national best practices. This includes frequent disinfection of high-touch surfaces.
• No-touch sanitation stations at entrances.
• ECO friendly take out containers at Marquis and Upper for a take out option.
• Contactless ordering and payment at numerous locations via Transact mobile app.

As always, the health and well-being of students is our top priority. While continuously monitoring CDC recommendations, updating our guidance as needed, and regularly communicating with our on-site team we stand ready to make adjustments as needed to continue safely feeding our community.

We would like to add that while safety is a key priority, it is not our only one.

We still believe that food has an important role to play in building culture and community. Our chefs will still be using fresh local and seasonal ingredients that meet our sustainability standards. (We are pleased to mention that Lafayette was recently ranked top 10 for Food and Dining Sustainability by AASHE’s Campus Sustainability Index.)

In addition, your student will continue to find abundant plant-forward, vegetarian, and vegan options as well as ones that are made without gluten-containing ingredients every day. Our Campus Executive Chef John Soder is happy to work with any students with food allergies or other dietary restrictions to ensure their needs are met.

Looking ahead to the semester, we ask that all students who will need a campus ID immediately begin the photo submission process, which will prevent delays.

As always, we welcome any questions or feedback from concerned parents.

Sincerely,

Christopher Brown, General Manager
[email protected]

John Soder, Campus Executive Chef
[email protected]

As Lafayette College and Bon Appétit Management Company welcome new and returning students to campus in the era of COVID-19, we’re introducing many new changes designed to ensure that you have the best dining experience possible. We’ll of course be implementing new measures to keep our guests and our teams safe, but while safety is a key priority, it is not our only one. We think we’ve got a great program planned for you, but rest assured we’ll be refining and adapting to make it even better as we go along.

REASONS TO BUY A MEAL PLAN:

It’s Safer: We’ve got a host of new protocols based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), health and sanitation experts from our Coronavirus Response Team, and local health regulations. We require COVID-19 specific training and health checks for our employees and vaccination for all employees.

Makes Life Easier: Life is difficult enough right now! A meal plan means: No worrying about grocery shopping or meal planning. No dishes. No unexpected financial surprises: for students who have flexible spending dollars, we help them manage their funds appropriately.

It’s Convenient: We offer Transact mobile ordering, lots of freshly made grab-and-go items, and contactless payment — you don’t even have to carry cash!

From Scratch = Flexible: We LOVE food, so we cook it from scratch: stocks, sauces, soups, salsas, you name it (also things that don’t start with S). This means we can be flexible with our recipes to accommodate all sorts of dietary needs without any fuss. It’s our passion to create delicious food that suits every need and taste. Vegan, flexitarian, or avoiding gluten? We’ll have options for you every day.

It’s Healthier: Our chefs make crave-worthy dishes — built on whole grains, deep-color vegetables, fresh fruits, and lean or plant-based proteins — that people look forward to eating every day. They also follow portion control guidelines.

Satisfying Options: From global bowls to seasonal pizzas, there’s always something new to try. And we love suggestions — our chefs don’t use cycle menus or corporate recipes, so they can add in new items with only a few days’ notice.

Seriously Sustainable: COVID-19 may have disrupted the food supply chains, but we’re still committed to upholding our industry-leading commitments to environmentally and socially responsible sourcing, from Farm to Fork partnerships to sustainable seafood. (The Humane Society of the United States ranked us the #1 food service company — the only one with an A+ grade.)

Knowledge is Power: College isn’t just about academics, it’s about learning life skills, too. We are committed to helping students learn to make healthy choices in and outside our café through nutrition & wellness information and education about how food choices impact the environment, and more.

Still Social: Mealtimes are still the perfect time to catch up with friends, and make new ones. We’re committed to making our dining spaces both safe and inviting places to hang out, and to offering interactive events to bring students together, online or 6 feet apart.