Providing you with healthy options is something your dining team proudly does every day. We help you select delicious, nutritious and satisfying meals, snacks and desserts by highlighting well-balanced menu choices and providing nutritional information and tips to help you make choices that fit your needs.

WE ARE HERE TO HELP!

We would love to meet one-on-one with anyone who has individual dining needs to ensure that your dining experience is safe, delicious, and social! For students with medical conditions that impact their ability to dine on campus, we strongly encourage a conversation with us by calling 860-231-5243, and we will connect you with our Registered Dietitian, Executive Chef, and/or General Manager. In many instances, our dining team can easily assist with special needs.  Should you have any specific dietary concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out directly to our Registered Dietitian, Samantha Standish, MS, RDN, CDN at 203-479-4827 or Samantha.Standish@sodexo.com.

Occasionally, Dining Services cannot meet a student’s medical needs within normal service. We may require additional medical documentation to enable us to develop a more specific meal plan accommodation. In this situation, please visit USJ's Student Accessibility Office (www.usj.edu/student-life/accessibility-services/) for details and instructions on how to submit a meal plan accommodation request. This process is for those with medically documented diagnoses that need to request special dining accommodations or have medically prescribed diet plans for the treatment of a medical condition. Together, our departments work to serve our students with medical needs related to dining on campus.

Our District Dietitian, Samantha Standish, RDN, CDN is available for complimentary consultations on topics such as:

• Food allergies, celiac disease, diabetes, or other special dietary needs
• Eating healthy on campus
• Vegan and vegetarian nutrition
• Weight management
• Campus Presentations

She has a passion for leading a healthy lifestyle and empowering people of all ages to reach their healthiest potential through food and nutrition. She works with students, faculty and staff to encourage a healthy well balanced lifestyle. She also assists students on campus that have dietary restrictions, helping them become more comfortable in their new dining environment.

Contact Samantha at: Samantha.Standish@Sodexo.com.

Mindful

Locate a healthier choice! All Mindful offerings meet stringent nutritional criteria based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Each Mindful item is limited in calories, has fewer than 30% of calories from fat, fewer than 10% of calories from saturated fat, and is restricted in sodium and cholesterol.

The Simple Servings station, located in McGovern Dining Commons, provides safe and appetizing food choices for our customers with food allergies, gluten intolerance, and those who prefer simple foods. All foods served at this station are prepared with ingredients that do not contain milk, eggs, wheat, soy, shellfish, peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, or gluten. This station uses separate equipment/utensils, preparation areas, and storage areas to minimize the potential of allergens or gluten in our Simple Servings foods. 

The menu rotates daily and includes a variety of protein (i.e., chicken, beef, lentils), vegetables (i.e., broccoli, carrots, green beans), and starches (i.e., rice, potato, quinoa). There is a salad option available too. The station is incorporated into the servery to allow students, even those without allergy concerns, to enjoy the wholesome food selections. We ask that guests do not bring food from other stations and only use the plates provided by our servers at Simple Servings. Simple Servings team members are carefully trained to prepare and serve safe food. We provide training throughout the year for all employees and our Simple Servings managers, supervisors, and cooks also hold the AllerTrainU™ certificates.

While the Simple Servings station is designed to allow customers an easy way to avoid allergens and gluten, we encourage our customers with special dietary needs to connect with our team to ensure an enjoyable dining experience. Contact us today at 860-231-5243.

If you have any specific dietary concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out directly to our Registered Dietitian, Samantha Standish, MS, RDN, CDN at 203-479-4827 or Samantha.Standish@sodexo.com.