Campus Life

There are two cafeterias on campus: LDC and Burton. Burton has better quality food, but LDC has more creative and vegetarian options. One can also eat at Sayles, which is open late and has tasty options like curly fries and burritos and the best smoothies ever. The food at Carleton is generally pretty healthy and local, especially at LDC.

The dining hall reminds me of the dinning on a cruise. Different stations within the hall, all providing different daily menus. Everything is available, from vegetarian to Chinese.

The company that runs the dining halls, Bon Appetit, does a very good job for feeding hundreds of students, three times a day. However, it can get old eating the same types of meals three times a day, seven days a week. Northfield has some great dining options when you want to eat out, most of which are in a five minute's walking distance from campus. The meal plans can be a little frustrating to deal with; although there are various combinations of the amount of meals you get per week, along with the amount of dining dollars you receive (to use at the café on campus, which sells food a la carte) all the plans cost the same amount of money per term, and if you live in a dorm on campus you have to be on a meal plan.

The dining service is better than it has been years past, and Bon apetit also boasts about how they use food from local and sustainable farms. But at times the food does lack variety in the long term. But there is always something to eat, and they have a good selection of vegetarian and vegan foods as well as celiac friendly accommodations.

I had a scone from the little coffee shop on campus, and the staff there was VERY friendly and polite. We had a very nice conversation, and the food was good. Compared with how the food USED to be years ago when she attended, my aunt says the food there now is MUCH better, although its still not five class dining.

It gets old after a while, but when it is good it is fabulous. Lots of vegetarian and vegan options, also a salad bar with fresh produce. A lot of ingredients are also local to promote sustainability.

I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the food. There is endless variety. You can choose to be a picky eater or try something new every day. Food is fresh and often showcases food from local farmers or the student-run Carleton farm.