Dining Guide
Welcome to UC Santa Cruz Nourishing you with great food is what your dining team is all about, our goal is make sure that your dining experiences here at UCSC are A+. Our culinary team of energetic foodies enjoy getting creative and bringing new and exciting menus to you every week. Don t worry, we ve got plenty of your favorites and lots of home style comfort food too. Within the Monterey Bay region, we also have outstanding fruits and vegetables with which we keep our salad bars stocked throughout the day and evening of course we strive to keep it seasonal as well. We re here for you to talk to and interact with, from asking questions about special dietary needs, or requesting the chef to make a special order for you. We can also help you navigate the best methods for getting the full value for OUR MISSION Provide high quality service and food Create a diverse, safe, fun and trusting environment for our guests and team Continue to build and innovate our dining program Embrace social, nutritional and financial responsibilities your meal plan. If meeting up with friends for a meal or study break is important to you, we ve got that covered too, with wifi almost everywhere and plenty of comfortable spaces to lounge in while chilling out and eating. Scott Berlin, Director of Dining and Hospitality Services
Quality UC Santa Cruz Dining prides itself on providing the best possible food available in the Monterey Bay area. We promote buy fresh, buy local purchasing practices and our focus is on healthy dining options that provide a variety of distinctive cooking styles and flavors. Our culinary team is involved at every level and participates in quarterly workshops to enhance their skills, keep up on the latest trends in college food service, and learn new cooking styles. The results are exciting menu offerings each quarter. ACCOMPLISHMENTS 2005 and 2008 Campus Diversity Award Winner 2005-2012 Boardwalk Chowder Cook-Off--Award Winners 2007 National Association of College and University Food Services Local Foods Recipe Contest--Third Place 2008 National Association of College and University Food Services Best Vegan Recipe Contest--First Place 2008 Hobart Sustainability Award--First Place 2008 Hope Services Award--Outstanding Employer 2009 National Association of College and University Food Services Culinary Competition--Regional Winner 2010 Acterra Green Business Award 2010 Plenty Magazine Greenest Cafeteria Award 2011 Goldies Going Green Award--Culinary Institute of America 2012 Princeton Review Top Ten Cool Schools 2012 Real Food Commitment Endorsement
Dining Halls Our dining halls offer all-you-care-to-eat, buffet-style dining at five convenient locations across campus, so you will never be far from a good meal. Flexible meal plans allow students to dine at any open dining hall. There are locations open from early morning to late night 7 days a week. Interested in trying a dish in the dining halls but not sure if you will like something? Ask for a sample first take what you like, but eat what you take. Visit dining.ucsc.edu for dining locations, weekly menus, special events, and more With the international flavors of a Mongolian-style grill, freshly prepared sushi, and delicious fire-baked pizzas, this location is a popular spot on campus. This dining hall is warm and inviting with outdoor patio dining available to capture the crisp ocean breezes, overlooking the OPERS athletic complex and fields. A lively venue offering rotating international specialty bars. Leading the way in sustainability, this dining hall also features a 20ft salad bar with plenty of whole grains, low fat and vegetarian items, along with weekly meatless dining options. Hop on over to Banana Joe s Quick Mart, located just next door. Located on the west side of campus, this dining location offers grill cooking stations, along with a beautiful wood stone pizza oven. Come enjoy the patio, perched high on the hill overlooking the Monterey Bay. The dining room surrounds a performance
Porter/Kresge Dining Hall Located on the west side of campus, this dining location offers grill cooking stations, along with a beautiful stone pizza oven. Come enjoy the patio, perched high on the hill overlooking the Monterey Bay. The dining room surrounds a performance stage so you are likely to find musical entertainment anytime of the day. College Eight/Oakes Dining Hall With an incredible view of the bay and hillsides of Santa Cruz, this place is as inviting as it gets. This is the home of our campus bakeshop, which produces our entire array of cookies, breads, brownies, and more. If you are looking for late night dining options on the west side of campus, College Eight/Oakes has what you re craving. College Nine/Ten Dining Hall This exhibition-style food court, showcasing the latest dining trends, encourages students to roam from station to station making selections. Home to Pizza-U and Whole Earth vegetarian/vegan entrée options. Just upstairs is Terra Fresca and the popular University Center Coffee Bar.
Cafes & Restaurants In addition to the dining halls, UC Santa Cruz Dining operates a selection of cafés and restaurants conveniently located around the campus. Whether you are seeking variety, celebrating a special day, or just looking for the closest place to grab a bite to eat while you study, there are convenient spots for every occasion. Like all of our dining venues, they are open to students, faculty, and staff. Terra Fresca the restaurant at University Center Located above the Nine/Ten Dining Hall, Terra Fresca serves fine California cuisine, specializing in local, organic, and sustainable meals. Amidst the redwood trees with an outdoor patio where you feel like you are dining in the tree-tops, it s perfect for a special luncheon, business meeting, or relaxing meal with friends. Terra Fresca offers full catering for meetings and weddings. Equivalency Oakes Café Located in our Oakes College community, this fun, funky café is the perfect spot for a grilled chicken sandwich, charbroiled burger, rice bowl or wrap. With its international surf theme and late night hours, this is a popular student hangout. Equivalency Banana Joe s Quick Mart Located near the Crown College fountain this quick mart has everything you need, all in one place. Banana Joe s is serving up International street food, sandwiches, espresso beverages all day long and even late night. Grab & Go meals are always available along with natural and organic snacks and grocery items. Looking for fresh produce, organic cereals and snacks? We have it all. Equivalency 55 55 55
Owl s Nest Nestled in a grove of redwoods at Kresge College, this hip restaurant has recently revamped it s eclectic menu and features Redwood Grill burgers and fries, Pan Asian stir fry selections, fruit smoothies, and organic espresso beverages. WiFi access and outdoor patio seating provide a great hang out and study areas. Equivalency Perk Coffee Bar Located in the lobbies of the Baskin Engineering, Earth & Marine Sciences, and Physical Sciences buildings, Perk Coffee Bars offer convenient locations to pick up a latte or mocha while on the go, or meet with friends for a quick lunch from the selection of salads, sandwiches or sushi. Perk also offers a wide selection of freshly baked muffins and pastries! Our Perk Express self serve coffee kiosks are conveniently located in the Science & Engineering Library and Baskin Engineering buildings. All Perk locations serve 100% organic coffee roasted 55 Equivalency Terry Freitas Café, College Ten College Eight Café Cowell Coffee Shop Global Village Cafe, McHenry Library Joe s Pizza & Subs, Quarry Plaza Porter Slug Café & Grill Stevenson Coffee House
Meal Plans Students living in residence halls can choose either the 7-Day or 5-Day meal plan. Students living in campus apartments can choose either the 7-Day, 5-Day, or 55 Meals Per Quarter plan. 7-Day Meal Plan Unlimited entry to the dining halls 7 days/week. Meals are all-you-care-to-eat. Eat in any dining hall Plan includes $50 Flexi Dollars per quarter Plan includes 4 guest meals per quarter 5-Day Meal Plan Unlimited entry to the dining halls Monday through Friday. Meals are all-you-care-to-eat. Eat in any dining hall Plan includes $50 Flexi Dollars per quarter Plan includes 4 guest meals per quarter 55 Meals Per Quarter 55 meals per quarter (about 5 meals per week). Meals are all-you-care-to-eat. A meal is deducted each time you enter a dining hall. Flexi Dollars Think of your Flexi Dollars like a dining debit card, with dollar for dollar exchange for food. Eat in any dining hall Plan includes $50 Flexi Dollars per quarter Meal equivalencies can be used to purchase menu items at select UCSC restaurants Meals may be used for guests 10% discount off cash prices at dining halls Purchase menu items at campus restaurants and coffee shops Convenient alternative to carrying cash Add to any meal plan, or purchased alone
Dining Programs Nutrition and Wellness You can access interactive nutrition facts and recipe ingredients for all of our meals and our meal calorie calculator at dining.ucsc.edu. We encourage students to talk with our managers about specific dietary restrictions, and we work closely with our Student Health Center to develop meals for restricted diets, and specialize in a large array of Vegan and Vegetarian meals. Meatless Mondays, Beefless Thursdays, and Farm Fridays are examples of our commitment to encouraging our students to embrace a lifestyle that focuses on personal health as well as a healthy diet. Local and organic tasting events also help students try out new foods and experience dining alternatives. Online Grocery Located at Banana Joe s Quick Mart From kitchen basics to natural and organic foods, the grocery program is designed for our apartment communities, enabling students to place orders for a variety of food staples. grocery.ucsc.edu Slug Gift Packs Care packages are a great way for parents, family or friends to send along a little slug hug. Whatever the occasion, these gift packs are a welcome arrival for any student. Available in: Birthday pack Get well pack catering.ucsc.edu/slug-pack Graduation pack Study pack Equivalency Thinking of you pack 55 University Center Catering From full service catering options from picnics on the go, to elaborate campus events, University Center Catering strives to meets the needs of the UCSC campus. We ensure convenience and our Gourmet to Go a la carte menu offers student priced options for clubs and organizations. catering.ucsc.edu
College Nights A tradition for students at UCSC is College Night. These special events, held throughout the year, bring each college community together to enjoy lively entertainment and a festive dinner in the company of friends. College Nights feature theme buffets and entertainment, which can run the gamut from jazz, rock, salsa and folk musicians to hypnotists, comedians, a variety of multicultural celebrations, and student led theater performances. COLLEGE NIGHT THEMES Black History Month Celebrations Valentines Day Mardi Gras Earth Day Celebrations Cinco de Mayo Thanksgiving Feast Dia de los Muertos - Day of the Dead Flashback to the Fifties Organic and Sustainably Grown Foods Cabaret/Talent Night Caribbean Beach Party Pacific Islander
Student Employment UC Santa Cruz Dining is the largest on-campus employer with more than 650 student employees. We offer students: Competitive wages Free meals when you work Training and development opportunities A fun work environment For more information please contact your dining hall manager or go online to dining.ucsc.edu Social Media & Communication Our team of students, managers and chefs work together to sustain the quality of food service on campus. Dining Business Foodies (DBF) provide daily tweets about what to find in our dining halls and cafes along with monitoring your feedback and suggestions via interactive postings. Connect to what s exciting and currently going on with campus dining. Comment Cards & Surveys Pick up a comment card or submit one online and share your dining experience with us. Our managers post responses to cards on the bulletin boards and track trends as part of our efforts to ensure your dining satisfaction. Did you taste a wonderful dish and want to see more of it? Send your manager a quick note. Online surveys conducted in the fall and spring show continued improvement, with our staff receiving some of the highest customer satisfaction scores across the nation. dining.ucsc.edu/comment
UC Santa Cruz Dining takes our commitment to being sustainable seriously. Nine of the UC Santa Cruz Dining locations have been awarded the Green Business certification by the City of Santa Cruz. We believe a successful business is dependent on a healthy environment and we are actively working to show our environmental responsibility. Come join us on our journey toward a greener campus. Buy Fresh, Buy Local: buying foods locally means that they get to campus fresh and with less impact on the environment than foods that are transported long distances. UCSC Farm: the 25-acre farm on campus provides our kitchens with seasonal, organic produce. This vibrant farming program also provides students with a living and learning environment. Agriculture and Land-Based Training Association (ALBA): ALBA Organics connects UC Santa Cruz Dining with high-quality produce grown locally and in season, and offers the opportunity to support small-scale, limited-resource farmers.
Community Agroecology Network (CAN) Coffee Program: This pioneering program of campus interns and coffee growers was the start of UC Santa Cruz s involvement in sustainable food systems. Along with serving CAN coffee, we also use coffee beans from local roasters providing 100% organic coffee in all of our dining halls, cafes, Perk Coffee locations, and Terra Fresca restaurant. Waste Reduction: Zero waste is a campus wide commitment and UCSC has pledged to reach a goal of zero waste by 2020. Through friendly competitions, students learn what factors create waste and how to help reduce them. In 2008 trays were removed from the dining halls, resulting in reducing overall waste by 35%, as well as reducing cleaning water usage by 1,000,000 gallons per year. Composting: Our composting partnership with the Monterey Regional Waste Management Facility helps us divert over 50 tons each month of kitchen cuttings and food scraps from the landfill, and turns it into nutrient-rich compost which can then be used to replenish the soil and grow more produce. Compostable paper products are used throughout all of our dining and catering operations. Real Food Challenge: Real Food is food that is produced in a fair, humane and sustainable manner. UCSC was one of the first colleges in California to sign this aggressive commitment which states that 40% if all food purchases will be real food by 2020. Through the Real Food Challenge, students across the nation are working to bring about change in their campus food systems. UCSC supports this through student involvement, learning journeys, funding and leadership training.
UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA CRUZ College Ten College Nine Crown College Dining Halls Merrill College 9 18 5 Kresge College 6 17 2 12 Cowell/Stevenson 2 Crown/Merrill 3 Porter/Kresge 4 College Eight/Oakes 5 Colleges Nine & Ten Perk Coffee Bars 8 14 7 1 19 10 11 Stevenson College 6 Baskin Engineering 7 Earth & Marine Sciences 8 Physical Sciences 9 University Center 1 9 Cowell Coffee Shop Cafés and Restaurants 20 10 10 11 11 Porter College 3 13 12 12 13 13 Cowell College 14 14 15 15 16 College Eight Oakes College Owl s Nest Nest Owl s Oakes Café Café Oakes 17 17 18 18 Terra Terra Fresca Fresca the the restaurant restaurant at at University University Center Center 19 19 20 20 15 Tacos Moreno Banana Joe s Quick Mart Porter Slug Porter Slug Café Café & & Grill Grill College Eight Eight Café Café College Cafe Terry Revolucion Freitas Café 16 16 4 Stevenson Coffee House Cowell Coffee Shop Banana Joe s Quick Mart Stevenson Coffee House Joe s Pizza & Subs Global Village Cafe
UC Santa Cruz Dining 1156 High Street University of California, Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA 95064 voice: (831) 459-2508 fax: (831) 459-4960 e-mail: dining@ucsc.edu UC Santa Cruz Dining 6/13