Residence Dining
In order to improve our service to you, we need to know about your concerns. Please speak to your Dining Hall Supervisor, Unit Chef or Unit Manager, or complete a Comment Card in your dining room and drop it in the suggestion box, or send us a quick message using our convenient Contact Us form.
Over the years, Residence Dining has accommodated countless students living in residence with food allergies and/or intolerances. A very extensive six-week residence menu cycle ensures that all students can have their nutritional needs met. Daily menus, which are posted online as well as at the entry to each dining room, list major ingredients used in all our hot entrees, soups and side dishes. If you have a food sensitivity, we encourage you to review the menus carefully and request additional information as needed. We are more than willing to help you make menu selections that are compatible with your personal health profile.
For students with severe allergies, it is strongly recommended that you introduce yourself to the Unit Manager in your residence. The Unit Manager will also introduce you to the Unit Supervisor and Unit Chef. For the first few weeks, it is imperative that you work closely with our residence dining staff. They have been trained in safe food handling and know the importance of food safety in the prevention of cross-contamination as well as the possible complications that can arise when a food allergen is consumed by someone with an allergy.
Our Nutrition Manager, is also available to help especially during these potentially challenging first few weeks of school. Submitting a personal information sheet on yourself, outlining the details of the food allergy, also helps all our staff identify those who may require additional assistance in making healthy food choices.
You've been asking for healthier food choices and we aim to deliver. The "Residence Choice" program represents our commitment to ensure that these healthier options are available, are highly visible and are well promoted. Found on every daily menu, these selections are prepared with healthy grains, vegetables, lower fat dairy products and/or leaner meat or alternatives from Canada's Food Guide.
Couple these items with fresh vegetables (including leafy greens) off the salad bar, steamed vegetables and/or a starch, prepared with little or no added fat, and you'll have created a well-balanced nutritious meal that you can feel good about!
Look for more healthy options in our "Lifestyles" grab and go program too.
The nutritional breakdown of hot menu items is posted directly on the daily menus.
Definitely! Although we cannot make guarantees, we do try and accommodate a variety of requests. Please pass on your request/comment via our convenient online form.
Yes, you can continue to enjoy your tax-exempt status in the Campus Eateries when purchasing prepared meals on your rez meal plan; however, regular retail pricing does apply.
You can top up your meal plan ONLINE. Or you can visit the Campus Meal Plan office.
The balance from both your Residence and Flex accounts will combine together and move forward to an Off Campus Flex account for you to use in the summer or the upcoming school year(s).
Any balance you have remaining at the end of each year will carry forward as long as you remain a student at Western. The only exception to this is the Campus Tax Exempt Plan which requires a minimum balance to be spent each semester.
Top ups can be made ONLINE or through the Campus Meal Plan office.
Your top up will initially go to your Flex account which will then transfer automatically, in $50 increments, to your Residence account as needed. So as soon as your Residence account gets too low to make the next purchase, $50 will transfer from your available Flex dollars. This will continue to happen until your Flex account is at $0.
Flex dollars are used on campus when you are making purchases that do not include prepared food. So, if you are purchasing a single beverage or confectionary items such as chips or chocolate bars, these sales will be deducted from your Flex account.
Flex dollars are also used for vending purchases, food purchases at The Wave or The Spoke in the UCC, and at specific off campus establishments. Purchases made using Residence Flex dollars do not receive a discount when used outside of Residence Dining Halls. The 50% discount will be applied when used in one of the six Residence Dining Halls.
Yes, immediately after your transaction is completed, and before the cashier has started to ring in the next customer, you can request a receipt of your transaction to be printed. As well, you can ask the Supervisor in your dining hall for a "Patron History" which outlines the transactions which took place on your meal card for a specific period of time (ie. last 5 days, last 4 months).
If you think you were charged incorrectly for a purchase, an electronic copy of a specific transaction with purchase details can also be requested.
No, you must have your Western ONECard with you any time you wish to make purchases in the dining halls. This is a security measure to ensure no-one else uses your card or card number to make purchases. The cashier will advise you to go back to your room and get your card.
Report your card lost as soon as possible to a Residence Dining Supervisor. If you cannot get to a Residence Dining Hall, immediately email Meal Plan office.
Your card will be inactivated and coded as lost in the system. The Residence Dining Supervisor will issue a temporary meal card (valid for no more than 3 days) to allow you time to obtain a new card at the Student Central office in Room 1120, Western Student Services Building.
Your Residence Meal Plan is comprised of 3 different components:
The overhead component is paid upfront as part of your residence fees. This covers the cost of operating the 6 residence dining halls, including capital maintenance, equipment, labour, utensils, utilities, etc.
The prices charged to Residence Meal Plan holders (after the 50% discount is applied) reflects that these costs have already been covered by the overhead component.
