Key questions to ask about college dining services

If you’re a high school senior deciding what college to attend in the fall, you’re probably focusing more on academic offerings and finances than on what’s for lunch. But it’s worth taking a close look at schools’ food offerings: For better or worse, college food will soon be an important part of your daily life. Don’t wait until you land on campus to figure out whether the dining-hall scene is a good fit for you.

Here are a few questions to ask if you’re choosing among eight of the major universities in the greater D.C. area — or anywhere else, for that matter.

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1. Will my dietary needs be met?

Vegetarian, vegan. If you’re a vegetarian or vegan, you won’t starve on campus. Most colleges offer vegetarian options as part of their menus, and some feature dedicated vegetarian, and even vegan, stations in their dining halls. At American University, for example, food stations offer vegetarian and vegan options, from veggie burgers to cheeseless vegetable pizza, says university spokeswoman Maralee Csellar. Johns Hopkins University promotes Meatless Mondays.

Kosher. For those who keep kosher, some schools simply offer kosher selections. Others have a kosher deli (George Washington University) or a dedicated serving area for kosher foods (Johns Hopkins University), while University of Maryland runs a Hillel center where kosher food is prepared and served under the direction of a Mashgiach. Georgetown University does not provide for kosher diets (or halal, either); students can request meal-plan exemptions.

Gluten-free. Most schools accommodate celiac disease and gluten intolerance, though to differing degrees. GWU ensures there are plenty of gluten-free breads, salads, soups and other options. Catholic University makes it a priority to provide a range of gluten-free foods at every meal. Georgetown provides dedicated toasters, panini presses and other equipment to avoid cross-contamination.

Allergies. If you have a food allergy or intolerance, ask to speak with the nutritionist or dietitian on the dining services staff and the head chef. The former can help devise a general strategy for navigating the dining halls; the latter can fill you in on the details of how your needs will be met. Dining services Web sites list basic information about how special dietary needs are accommodated.

2. What are the meal plans?

Comparing meal plans can be confusing, as each campus has an array of dining halls, a mix of campus-run eateries and fast-food chains, and different ways to organize your meal budget.

Some dining services are entirely a la carte, meaning students pay for each item individually, usually with a card that deducts from a pre-purchased set of points. But most combine a la carte “dollars” or “points” with plans under which you buy a certain number of all-you-can-eat meals per week, month or semester (Catholic, George Mason and Howard universities, for instance). U-Md., currently all a la carte, will open an “all you care to eat” dining hall in the fall.

Freshmen living on campus (and sometimes sophomores, too) are usually required to participate in a meal plan and are limited to certain options. Check the policy on rolling over points or meals; most systems set deadlines by which you have to use them or lose them, though a few will let you carry unused points over to the next semester.