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All Cardinal Dollars will expire August 16th, 2025. 

Fish and veggies


Dining Hall Meal Plans

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Dining Hall Meal Plan Information

R&DE Stanford Dining, Hospitality and Auxiliaries is Committed to Excellence by providing meal programs that support the development of communities within residences and across campus. R&DE Stanford Dining, Hospitality and Auxiliaries meal plans offer significant value, the highest quality food and flexibility of dining across campus to create new connections and allow students to engage in intellectual and lively discussions over meals with each other, faculty, and members of the Stanford community. R&DE Stanford Dining, Hospitality and Auxiliaries prides itself on providing nutritious, sustainable and delicious food choices — embodying the Menus of Change Principles, as part of its leadership of the Menus of Change University Research Collaborative — to meet the wide variety of dietary needs within our diverse Stanford community. The Eat Well @Stanford program provides support to students dining with food allergies, religious requirements, medical needs, vegan/vegetarian diets and other nutritional needs. For more information on navigating your dietary needs please contact nutritionist@stanford.edu.

R&DE Stanford Dining, Hospitality and Auxiliaries also has a long history of award-winning sustainability leadership. Our One Plate, One Planet vision captures the full breadth of our pioneering sustainable food program, which represents bold, long-term commitments to climate action and racial equity. It celebrates the power of social consciousness, operational innovation and individual food choices in promoting sustainable food systems. We believe that with each plate we serve, and each meal our students eat, we have the opportunity to create a better future for this planet together. Learn more about our Sustainable Food Ethos that guides our purchasing decisions, the positive impact we have through our menu and operations in our Sustainable Food @Stanford By the Numbers infographic, and practical tips for How to Eat Sustainably on Campus.    

Dining Hall Meal Plans

Students can use their meals for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner meals in any open dining hall. Visit our dining hall locations and hours page for more information. Meal Plan Dollars may be used at select R&DE Stanford Dining, Hospitality and Auxiliaries retail locations or any dining location, including all late-night operations. Cardinal Dollars may be used at all R&DE Stanford Dining, Hospitality and Auxiliaries retail locations.

All undergrad students living on campus (except in Mirrielees) are required to be on a meal plan but students can switch their dining hall meal plan the first three weeks of the quarter. 

2024-25 Academic Year Dining Hall Meal Plans

Fall Quarter

Winter Quarter

Spring Quarter

Total

19 Meal Plan includes:

19 meals per week

5 guest meals per quarter for use in any dining hall

Meal Plan Cost$2,797$2,502$2,436$7,735

15 Meal Plan includes:

15 meals per week

300 Meal Plan Dollars for use in any dining hall or select R&DE cafés and markets

5 guest meals per quarter for use in any dining hall

Unused Meal Plan Dollars carry over to next quarter

This is the default meal plan for freshmen and upperclass students

Meal Plan Cost

Meal Plan Dollars

$2,797

$110

$2,502

$100

$2,436

$90

$7,735

$300

12 Meal Plan includes:

12 meals per week

575 Meal Plan Dollars for use in any dining hall or select R&DE cafés and markets

5 guest meals per quarter for use in any dining hall

Unused Meal Plan Dollars carry over to next quarter

This meal plan is only available for upperclass students

Meal Plan Cost

Meal Plan Dollars

$2,797

$210

$2,502

$185

$2,436

$180

$7,735

$575

 

Meal Plan Dates

SeasonDates
Fall QuarterSeptember 20, 2024 – December 13, 2024
Winter QuarterJanuary 4, 2025 – March 21, 2025
Spring QuarterMarch 29, 2025 – June 11, 2025

Dining Hall Meal Plan Information

CleanDining 
R&DE Stanford Dining, Hospitality and Auxiliariesʼ CleanDining program builds upon the already high standards of food safety and sanitation in the dining halls, utilizing industry best practices and enhanced cleaning protocols. The goal of R&DE Stanford Dining, Hospitality and Auxiliaries' CleanDining program is to provide students with reassurance of the safety of their dining experience and create a focus on enhanced cleanliness that is visible to students. For further questions, feedback or information please contact foodsafety@lists.stanford.edu.

Meal Plan Week 
At the end of the day every Saturday, the next week’s meal allotment is added to student cards. Any unused meals expire at the end of the week (Saturday after dinner).

Transfer 
Plan cards and privileges are non-transferable and cannot be used to obtain food or drink for others.

Schedule 
R&DE Stanford Dining. Hospitality and Auxiliaries reserves the right to modify dining hall service days and/ or hours of operation as needed and without prior notification. Please check rde.stanford.edu/dining-hospitality/dining-locations-hours for the most current information.

You may change your meal plan during the first three weeks of the quarter on campus. You can make changes to your meal plan online at rdeapps.stanford.edu/MyMealPlan. Meal plan changes are prorated on a daily basis. For those plans with Meal Plan Dollars, the Meal Plan Dollars balances are pro-rated as well. If you change your meal plan, and you have already overspent the prorated amount of Meal Plan Dollars on your old plan, you will be charged the difference prior to switching to your new plan.

A student who is under contract and then leaves the university is obligated to fulfill their R&DE Stanford Dining, Hospitality and Auxiliaries contract if they return to the university at any time during the contracted academic year.

Billing 
You are required to pay for the meal plan you choose within the specified time, even if you later change your meal plan. Separate charges or credits resulting from such changes will appear on your statement after each change. 

Lost Cards 
If you lose your Stanford ID card, you must report the loss immediately to the Stanford ID Card Office. Students are not allowed to enter the dining hall without a valid Stanford ID card.

Conditions of Meal Servings Policy 
The meal plan program features unlimited servings of all meals eaten in the residential dining rooms. It is your responsibility to take only what you can reasonably eat at each meal (All-You-Care-to-Eat policy). R&DE Stanford Dining, Hospitality and Auxiliaries reserves the right to limit the number of servings at special event meals. Bringing containers, backpacks or bags into the dining hall for use in removing food is not permitted. R&DE Stanford Dining, Hospitality and Auxiliaries reserves the right to inspect any packages, coats, bags, purses, etc., brought into the dining areas. Allowing another person to use your meal card, or any other attempt to defraud the meal plan may be subject to Stanford University’s judicial system. 

Meal Plan Dollars

R&DE Stanford Dining, Hospitality and Auxiliaries Meal Plan Dollars are added to your Stanford ID card to provide flexibility for the R&DE Stanford Dining, Hospitality and Auxiliaries Meal Plan. Meal Plan Dollars carry over at the end of each quarter and can be used throughout the academic year as long as you are enrolled in a meal plan. Meal Plan Dollars expire at the end of summer quarter, as long as you are continuously enrolled in a meal plan. If not, Meal Plan Dollars expire with your meal plan. Visit the Cardinal & Meal Plan Dollars webpage for a list of locations where Meal Plan Dollars can be used.

 

Cardinal Dollars

Cardinal Dollars can be purchased by students, faculty, and staff, and are added to your Stanford University ID card. Cardinal Dollars can be used to purchase meals at all R&DE Stanford Dining Hospitality retail cafés. Visit the Cardinal & Meal Plan Dollars webpage for a list of locations where Cardinal Dollars can be used. Cardinal Dollars expire August 16, 2025.

To Purchase:

  • Enrolled students can purchase online by logging into their account using the My Account option. Online orders are charged to your University bill.
  • Students can submit an order via email. Send the email from your SUNet account to diningplans@stanford.edu. Be sure to include your SUID number and how much you wish to purchase. Email orders are billed to your University bill.
  • You may complete your order by phone at 650-723-4751 with a credit card. 

For additional information, contact us at diningplans@stanford.edu, or by phone at 650-723-4751.
 

Frequently Asked Questions

For more information, see our FAQ page.

To learn more about where to spend your meal plan dollars, please click here.

 

Please be advised that the terms and conditions governing any of the R&DE Meal Plans, Cardinal Dollars, and any of the SDHA (Stanford Dining, Hospitality & Auxiliaries) services, products, offerings, benefits, features, or any other conditions related to them are subject to change without prior notice. This includes any aspects related to SDHA services, such as menu offerings, pricing, schedules, and any other features or benefits that SDHA provides.   As we continuously strive to enhance our offerings, adapt to industry trends, or respond to the university or other conditions or requirements, we may update these terms from time to time. By enrolling in and purchasing any R&DE Meal Plan, Cardinal Dollars, Catering, Concession or other SDHA service, you acknowledge and agree that this is considered as your acceptance of these terms.