Dining Hall Meal Plan Information

R&DE Stanford Dining is Committed to Excellence by providing meal programs that support the development of communities within residences and across neighborhoods. R&DE Stanford Dining 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 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 in the neighborhoods, please contact nutritionist@stanford.edu.

R&DE Stanford Dining 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. Please note that all meals are currently pre-packaged and for to-go only. Meal Plan Dollars may be used at select R&DE Stanford Hospitality & Auxiliaries retail locations or any R&DE Stanford Dining location, including all late-night operations. Cardinal Dollars may be used at all R&DE Stanford Dining and R&DE Stanford Hospitality & 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 at any time until the last four weeks of each quarter. 

Meal Plan Dates

Dining Hall Meal Plan Information

CleanDining
R&DE Stanford Diningʼs 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 Diningʼs 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. R&DE Stanford Diningʼs CleanDining program was created to consistently meet all of the evolving expectations during the COVID-19 pandemic. 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 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/dining-locations-hours for the most current information.

You may change your meal plan up until the last four weeks of the quarter on campus. You can make changes to your meal plan online at rde.stanford.edu/dining/meal-plans. 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 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 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 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. 

Isolation and Quarantine Meals for Students
Students living on campus who show flu-like symptoms that may be COVID-19 related or are traveling back to campus from out of state need to be quarantined. They can request access to the online ordering portal upon approval by Meal Plan staff. R&DE Stanford Dining meal delivery service provides students who need to be quarantined, due to travel or illness, the opportunity to stay in their residence or designated quarantine spaces and order meals online from the dining hall upon approval by Stanford Dining. The meal delivery service for students in quarantine expires 14 days after the initial quarantine date automatically. Students who need meal delivery service after the 14 days of quarantine, will need their Residence Dean to resubmit the online questionnaire at mds admin.stanford.edu. Meal delivery service for students in isolation will continue until the student is released with a doctor’s note.