Kenyon CollegeCampus Dining Summary

Written by Alexandra Patterson

Alexandra Patterson

Hometown

Bowling Green, KY

Major

English

Grad Year

2012

View all previous student authors

Kenyon’s dining hall is unique in that you can walk right in and eat your meal. There is no swipe card system, no number of breakfast items that you can eat. This is because Kenyon has no meal plan. Students pay a standard fee for all-you-can-eat food whenever Peirce Hall is open. Because there are few options in “town” for alternative food, the system works amazingly well. As college food goes, Kenyon's offerings are actually pretty decent. The chefs try to provide variety while still catering to everyone’s needs. There is always a salad and sandwich bar, a pizza station, a pasta dish, and vegetarian cuisine. The other two stations—comfort and international—change a bit more frequently, offering everything from quesadillas to burgers. AVI Foodsystems is very receptive to student feedback, and the company often changes whole menus when the student body does not like something.

The dining hall is a nut-free facility, except for peanut butter, which is kept in a contained space. This and other allergy provisions—a gluten free fridge stocked with abundant options—make the Kenyon dining scene very allergy friendly. Peirce strives to use as much local, organic produce as possible. Most of the veggies and fruit do come from farms in the area, and local meat options are becoming more prevalent. That being said, this means that out-of-season fruits and veggies may not be available in the cafeteria.