Dear Stanford students, parents and community,

Welcome to Stanford, we are so pleased that you are here!

R&DE Stanford Dining, Hospitality & Auxiliaries (SDHA), a division of Residential & Dining Enterprises, is a best-in-class dining and hospitality program serving over 25,000 meals a day by over 900+ staff in over 100+ locations, including 9 dining halls, 31 self-op row house dining, 7 co-op dining, 4 suite dining, 4 branded concepts, athletic dining, a kosher kitchen, late night dining at Lakeside, 8 cafes, 12 vendor partner programs, 1 commissary production kitchen, a pub, 3 markets, a sweet shop, 7 catering operations, Schwab Executive Dining, 5 athletic concession venues, and 2 teaching kitchens,  SDHA also oversees the Stanford Food Institute, the Stanford Flavor Lab, the campus BeWell community gardens, the Stanford Food Pantry, and a staff training and development center. We are excited to nourish you with delicious, healthy and sustainable food!

It is clear in hearing from students that conversations and making connections over meals form the center of their communities and neighborhoods. Students break bread together, engage in intellectual and lively discussions over their meals with each other, faculty, and members of the Stanford community. This is an essential part of the Stanford residential education experience. Stanford strongly believes in community building over meals and the neighborhood meal program for the Dining Halls, The Row, Suites & Co-ops allows students the ease and flexibility to eat across the campus to develop friendships within their neighborhood and throughout the campus.

R&DE SDHA also offers a wide variety of opportunities for students to get directly involved. Open to all undergraduate students currently residing in the neighborhoods, the Dining Ambassador program offers a chance to get involved with our dining program and special events to build and engage the community while acting as a liaison between the dining staff and students. Interested in menu ideation? Join the Student Menu Innovation Committee and work directly together with the SDHA executive chef team for the academic year by providing input and perspectives on current and proposed dining hall menus. To apply for these programs, or learn more about additional opportunities, please visit our Student Engagement webpage.

Culinary Excellence is a core pillar of R&DE SDHA’s programs and purpose. Our chefs are dedicated to inspiring students with delicious flavors, enticing recipes and expertly crafted meals. We believe that food builds community and we often introduce students to new foods, global cuisines, and food experiences which supports the academic mission, and expands their knowledge of the diversity of food cultures. In partnership with Residential Education, we integrate culturally inspired food concepts and culinary celebrations into the residential education experience. Learn more about our culinary team and what they are cooking by following us on Instagram @StanfordDining. @StanfordDecadence, and @StanfordAuxiliaries!

R&DE SDHA prides itself on providing high-quality and nutritious cuisine to meet the wide variety of dietary needs within our diverse Stanford community. The Eat Well @Stanford program is committed to supporting an inclusive dining experience for students with a wide range of dietary needs, and enhancing the development of lifelong eating practices that promote health and wellbeing. Students with special dietary considerations, such as food allergies or religious requirements, can receive assistance navigating their food options in the dining halls by contacting nutritionist@stanford.edu.

Sustainability is a core value of R&DE, and SDHA is committed to pursuing bold action to address climate change and support Stanford’s commitment to become a zero-waste campus by 2030. When it comes to long-term strategies in sustainability, there is no imperative as important to address as climate change. Our strategy of climate-smart dining is rooted in the resounding message from climate scientists that our actions to address the climate emergency must be exponential in nature; we are past the time when incremental change is enough. We see tremendous opportunities for climate action through our food program: leveraging our institutional purchasing power and collaborating with thought leaders in climate change research, and across business and industry. We are inspired by the groundswell of student support of this key subject and are grateful to partner with many subject matter experts around climate issues. We also recognize the power of creating delicious plant-forward menus and using more biodiverse and regenerative agriculture ingredients. Our focus with our One Plate, One Planet program and collaborations with Drawdown Labs and REGEN1, is to enhance and create a more impactful student dining experience for the health of our students and for the good of our planet.

We recognize the importance and essential role that R&DE SDHA  plays in building community and promoting the health and wellbeing of our students, and we take this responsibility very seriously. We thank you for your support and look forward to gathering and dining as a community on campus. You can reach our staff at diningplans@stanford.edu or leave us a comment, question or concern at https://rde.stanford.edu/rde-feedback.

Warmest wishes for your health and well-being,