Published: Aug. 23, 2023

Village Center grand openingWe’ve all been there—maybe you had to skip breakfast or forgot your lunch at home and need quick food options between meetings or classes. There are 15 dining locations across campus, offering a variety of convenient options for breakfast, lunch and dinner. As a faculty or staff member, here are some tips to maximize your on-campus dining experience. 

Save time and avoid crowded locations 

Use the Crowd Checker webpage to save time and beat the rush during busy meal hours. This page displays how busy the different dining locations are throughout the day.  

You can also save time by reviewing menus for all dining locations in advance with Nutrislice. Nutrislice also allows you to filter menus by allergens or dietary preferences so you can easily find meals to fit your needs. You can also look for the Smart Picks icon to quickly identify the many healthy options available throughout our campus dining locations. All items with a Smart Pick icon meet specific criteria or have approval from Campus Dining Services’ Registered Dietitian. 

Download the Nutrislice app from the Apple App Store or Google Play, or visit the Nutrislice website to review menus. Get more tips for using Nutrislice with this how-to guide. 

Try something new 

Whether you’re looking for something near your office or want to try something new, here are some places to check out around campus. 

If you’re near Farrand Field:  

  • Libby on the Run: This dining location serves breakfast and lunch items specializing in fresh, healthy and delicious cuisine in a grab-n-go format for your convenience.  
  • CU on the Run: Located in the C4C, CU on the Run gets you on your way quickly with freshly made sandwiches, salads and hot food items. 
  • WeatherTech Cafe and Bakery: Located at the east end of the C4C near the Buff OneCard office, you can enjoy responsibly sourced specialty coffees and teas with homemade pastries and cookies, including vegan and gluten-free options. This restaurant also serves made-to-order pizzas, paninis and sandwiches.  
  • The Alley @ Farrand: The Alley @ Farrand’s menu features made-to-order burgers, ready-made pizzas and daily lunch specials, with a wide variety of freshly-made sides and snacks. 
  • Farrand Market: This market in Farrand Hall offers a selection of hot breakfast items, snacks, beverages and convenience items. 
  • Kittredge Market: Located in the north wing of Kittredge Central, Kittredge Market offers a full-service espresso and tea bar, on-the-go breakfast and lunch options and a general market with snacks, drinks and essentials. 
  • Alferd Packer Grill: Located in the UMC, the Alferd Packer Grill is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, offering a variety of freshly made meal options.

If you’re near the Rec Center or Norlin: 

  • Sewall Dining Center: Located in Sewall Hall on the north side of campus, Sewall Dining Center serves multicultural meal options, traditional “comfort” food and items right off the grill. 
  • Sewall Market: Sewall Market is a convenience store on the northeast corner of central campus, offering bottled beverages, hot coffee, snacks, sandwiches, sushi, salads, ice cream and essentials.

If you’re in Williams Village: 

  • Village Center Dining: Village Center Dining in Williams Village offers globally and locally inspired meals at its five micro-restaurants. Highlights include all-day breakfast and freshly-made smoothies at Toast, house-made curries at Curry Road and street tacos at the Grange. 
  • Village Market: Located in the Village Center, this market offers a great selection of produce, snacks, beverages, essentials and even CU apparel! We proudly serve Starbucks in the Village Market, where you can enjoy all your favorite Starbucks drinks.

If you’re on east campus: 

  • SEEC Cafe: Located on east campus in the Sustainability, Energy and Environment Community, the SEEC Cafe serves fresh-brewed and sustainably sourced coffee and teas, breakfast and lunch items such as freshly-made salads, sushi, grain and noodle bowls, along with daily specials and house-made soups. There is also a retail section with snacks, beverages and health necessities.

Choose more plant-based meals 

Are you curious about incorporating more grains and vegetables into your meals and snacks? Eating less meat and dairy can benefit the environment and your health. The campus dining centers make transitioning to a plant-based diet or adding more plant-based foods easy.  

Here are a few dining center hacks for plant-based meals or snacks. 

  • At the C4C, ask for a vegetarian breakfast burrito and add chorizo tofu or pinto beans for protein. For lunch or dinner, grab a hummus from the Kosher station refrigerator or the deli station to use on a sandwich instead of meat. 
  • At Sewell, Village Center and C4C, ask for a tofu scramble with vegetables at the breakfast scramble bar. Depending on the day, you can also enjoy a selection of vegan pastries, like coconut bread or apple strudel. 
  • At all dining centers on campus, food items at every station include labels. Vegan foods will have V, and lacto-ovo vegetarian foods will have LO on the labels. 
  • Libby on the Run, CU on the Run and the Alley at Farrand carry many vegan entrees, sides and snacks. They also offer vegan soups, salads and wraps to go. 
  • Utilize the menus and the vegetarian and vegan filter functions in Nutrislice to plan your meals. 

To learn more about the environmental benefits of a plant-based diet, connect with the Environmental Center.

Pay for meals with the Get app 

The Get Mobile App allows you to use your phone to manage your Campus Cash account and pay at any dining location. Anyone with an IdentiKey can download and use the Get Mobile app. Download the app from the Apple App Store or Google Play. Check the Dining FAQs for information on downloading and using the app.