Dining & Menus

Smith College Dining Services is committed to providing outstanding customer service and the highest quality food to all students and guests. We embrace Smith’s traditions while keeping current with global dining trends. We support our community by providing flexibility and variety, accommodating dietary requirements, and sourcing food from local farms and businesses. We strive to reduce food waste and use resources with sustainability in mind.

On the Menu

Whether you’re perusing brunch options or scoping out a specific dining hall’s offerings, you can find them here quickly.

An Entrée for Everyone

Honored with a student-nominated Gavel Award this year, Julian Martineau—a cook’s assistant in Dining Services—works to keep food-sensitive Smithies safe. He works in Dawes House—the dining hall on campus where students with celiac disease and other food-related sensitivities and allergies can eat worry-free—and his dedication to his students is noteworthy.

Read the Article
“You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces—just good food from fresh ingredients.”
Julia Child ’34
Tina Atkinson poses with students while dressed as Julia Child

Channeling Her Inner (Julia) Child

Chef Tina Atkinson has worked at Smith for nearly 40 years. In that time, she’s baked for 20 Julia Child Days, and even met the French Chef herself. Here, Atkinson talks about her love of baking, that time Julia Child signed her chef’s jacket, and how she made this year’s celebration even more special.

Her favorite thing about the tradition? “Really, just having a good time, watching the students have a fun time, and giving them a good experience through food.”

Read the Interview

Current Students

On-Campus Meal Plan

Our kitchens offer a variety of traditional buffets and grab and go, as well as pre-order options through the Grubhub app to allow students to meet their level of comfort. Students can download the app on their phone or other iOS or Android mobile device, and food will be cooked to order, with notifications sent when the food is ready for pick up. Hours and meal options are listed in the hours tab of our webpage. In addition to 5 board swipes per day used in the dining rooms or retail cafés (as a meal equivalency), students will receive $110 a year in Dining Dollars. If you don’t have an iOS or Android device, please reach out to Andy Cox to apply for a borrowed college device.

All Ada Comstock Scholars are able to utilize Smith Dining board options during the academic year via their OneCard access, regardless of housing status or financial aid eligibility. This benefit is not extended to students’ dependents.

Allergy-Related Accommodations

Students in need of dietary accommodations should register at the Accessibility Resource Center (ARC) by emailing arc@mblayst.com. We also ask that you register all dietary accommodations through the Student Affairs THD survey. This information will be crucial if a student needs to be in isolation or quarantine.

You can use NetNutrition to help you manage food allergies while eating in Smith dining rooms. However, if you have severe allergies we encourage you to contact the management team at your dining location or send an email with any concerns to dining@mblayst.com.

Religious Dietary Accommodations

Kosher Dining

The Cutter-Ziskind dining hall serves kosher selections and offers specials during Passover and Jewish High holidays.

While the Kosher Kitchen is closed on weekends, meals may be reserved for dinner on Friday; lunch and dinner on Saturday; and lunch and dinner on Sunday. Fill out the form below. Meals may also be reserved for fall break, spring break and Family Weekend. You may also submit a request via email at kosher@mblayst.com or call 585-2099.

Read more about kosher dining.

Register for Passover dining.

Halal Dining

Halal dining is available for breakfast, lunch, dinner and brunch during the academic year in the Cutter/Ziskind dining room. We serve Zabiha when the menu calls for a meat entree.

Ramadan

Smith also follows the Ramadan holiday guidelines for serving food and meals. These special foods and meals are available when the holiday falls during academic calendar year dates.

Read more about dining during Ramadan.

Get started with Grubhub Campus. Once you download the app, affiliate with Smith College with these instructions. Then add your campus card by signing in with your Smith credentials with Duo authentication. See the Ordering Experience Tutorial.

A meal exchange is available for students enrolled in a meal plan at their home institution. Requests for participation in the meal exchange will be granted for academic reasons only. Other meal exchange requests, for which there is a compelling reason, will be reviewed on an individual basis.

Students must follow the guidelines at their own dining institution and are required to provide the required documentation of the Five College academic course in which they are enrolled.

Dinner and Weekend Meals

For dinner and weekend meals, you must inform the Dining Service office of the class or academic reason that requires you to be at the other campus.

Smith Students Dining Away

Smith students must fill out the Meal Plan Form. You will be contacted via email once you have been approved. The host institution will receive your approval electronically. Visit the host institution to be assigned a dining location.

Five College Students Dining at Smith

After you complete the dining information at your own institution, Smith College will receive the information electronically. Visit the OneCard Office in Stoddard Hall 24C during drop-in hours or make an appointment, at 413-585-3082. You will be issued a OneCard to access the dining rooms for approved meals.

Off-campus students can apply for a la carte meal purchases using the Off-Campus Meal Plan Form.

Work With Us!

Looking for a great job? Smith College Dining Services is one of the largest student employers on campus offering a variety of positions that can work with your hectic schedule. With 15 dining locations, the Campus Center Café and our catering department, we have many shifts available for Student Worker Jobs.

With Dining Services you will be working in a positive, team-oriented environment. We give preference to first-year students and first-year transfer students on financial aid. Please refer to Student Employment for policies for returning students.

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A student washing dishes in a house dining room.

Catering

Aerial view of four plates of food prepared at Smith.

Smith College Catering welcomes the opportunity to assist the college community with special events of all sizes, from small office coffee breaks to lunches, dinners or receptions at various campus locations. We pride ourselves on using the freshest ingredients available, carefully preparing each food item and delivering it to you with a smile. We willingly customize your event to fit your particular needs.

Contact Catering at 413-585-2304. Smith College Catering is not always able to cater all events at the Alumnae House.

An off-campus caterer can be hired but must abide by all college policies, including carrying the appropriate insurance and licenses and following all house procedures.

  • If you employ an outside caterer, we require that you have a college-approved site manager present.
  • Events held at the Alumnae House after normal business hours require a receptionist at $11.50 per hour during the academic year.
  • The charge for each site manager is $35 per hour. Site managers are hired to ensure that the event goes smoothly and that any Smith equipment is returned to its proper place. They are not hired to serve food or alcohol.
  • Only beverages and finger foods may be served in the living room.
  • Alcohol may be served to persons over the age of 21. The caterer must have a catering license that includes liquor, and certified bartenders must be used whenever alcohol is being served in the Alumnae House.
Three members of Dining staff in a kitchen. One man is near a bowl of tomatoes, and a woman is holding a bundle of greens.

Dining Services Staff

Smith’s dining services team is committed to providing the best meals to students, using fresh and local ingredients wherever possible. From the administrative staff to area managers, get to know the folks behind the food.

Meet the Team

Dine Out, On Campus

With two cafés on campus—one in the Campus Center and the other in Neilson Library—it’s easy to step out for a coffee or a quick bite to eat without even needing to leave the Grécourt Gates.

The interior of the Campus Center Cafe.
The window to the Compass.
Two students sitting outside of the Campus Center.
Barista making coffee in the Compass cafe.
People eating at the Campus Center cafe.