A meal plan with purpose
Renison Food Services is a vital component to maintaining a positive learning environment at Renison. We are committed to providing healthy, quality meals to our students. All meals are produced using ingredients that are local, sustainable, and acquired from environmentally aware suppliers.
Acknowledging the diverse student population at Renison, our food services team prides itself in offering a wide variety of cuisine from around the world and accommodating a host of dietary restrictions and allergies. We will accommodate your dietary needs whether vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, halal and more. Building on our commitment to accessibility and adaptability is our belief that food is a central component to making connections across cultures. With this in mind, Renison's meal plan offers all of our students, from Canada and abroad, the comforts of home as well as the opportunity to explore the world through food. From North American favourites to East Asian delights to Latin American delicacies (and much more in between), our food services team is committed to offering you one of the most dynamic, diverse, and delicious food experiences on campus.
The meal plan at Renison is included as part of your residence fees. This all-inclusive style plan will ensure that you have plenty to eat without worrying about money or a declining card balance. What this means is that at any point (up to 6 times) during cafeteria hours, you may get as much food as you want. Should you not have time to eat in the cafeteria, you may also request a takeaway lunch and/or a late dinner for your convenience.
Want to cook something yourself? You can access My Pantry, a fully stocked student cooking area that was newly revamped in December 2022!
Tour our cafeteria!
Meal hours and what's included
Renison's cafeteria offers 19 meal times per week:
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner Monday to Friday
- Brunch and dinner on Saturday and Sunday
Meal hours are from 7:30 am to 7:00pm with limited interruption of service. However, "My Pantry" is open from 7:00pm to 8:00am for any late night snack enthusiasts. "My Pantry" allows residents to cook their own food with burners, blenders, a microwave, and more. Residents use ingredients from the kitchen to make their own culinary masterpiece!
The extensive meal plan includes:
- Six swipes/day (two per meal)
- Two main entrees plus vegetarian and pasta options
- Daily features on the grill and salad bar
- Soup, dessert, and beverage stations
- Takeaway bagged lunches and late dinners (available upon request)
- Interactive and hands-on cooking classes with our head chef and your peers
- Themed "College Dinner" meal nights with festive dinners
- Late-night snacks during exam weeks
- My Pantry, a fully stocked student cooking area*
- Food services are provided in-house by Renison staff
Keeping you in mind
Renison staff meet monthly with students to address any concerns, make suggestions, and offer changes to our menu. Renison Food Services will consult with students to stock My Pantry with all the ingredients they want and need.
You're a university student - We know you're busy. Got a yoga class at lunch? Or an evening class across campus? No problem. Your cafeteria provides convenient express lunches and late dinners for those who can't make it to meal time. Just be sure to let us know a day or so in advance.
In support of your meal plan experience, Renison Food Services is committed to the four A's of food service:
- Adaptable: We are able to change menus quickly as well as able to change menu items to accommodate allergies and food restrictions.
- Accessible: We invite you to connect with food service members at anytime to discuss food option or concerns, organize early breakfast or late dinners, and discuss the overall food program through the resident food committee.
- Additionally, the cafeteria ensures accessibility by remaining open throughout the day and only closing for one hour to restock. This allows us to stay open for snacks and beverages.
- Approachable: We want our residents to know they can come to use with any concern or requests they have. We will always do our best to help! All residents have access to the RFS Manager's email and may connect with food services through the RFS Facebook. We are committed to fostering positive interactions between our team and the Renison community at large.
- Accepting: RFS wants to make sure that everyone feels they can request whatever they need to have a comfortable experience staying at Renison. All requests and preferences will be addressed to the best of our ability.
NEW this Fall 2024!
NEW! Beginning this Fall 2024, your meal plan will now also include:
- Access to an interactive meal station five nights a week: Enjoy an additional meal option cooked on the spot to enjoy! The meal station will vary from pasta bar nights with assorted ingredients and sauces available, make-your-own sushi bowl night, a Pho station with vegetarian options available, and a poutine station with different toppings and sauces to make it how you want it!
- $100 Flex Dollars on your WatCard each term: If you want to switch things up for lunch, you can enjoy a meal at any location that accepts WatCard, including on-campus vendors and off-campus vendors. This extra balance can also be used for laundry services in the Renison laundry room, too!
An intercultural approach
At Renison, we celebrate a diversity of cultures through our Culture and Language Studies department; we also welcome a diverse population of students from the local community and many countries abroad. As such, our food services team has designed our menus to celebrate an intercultural approach to food. What this means is we offer some of the top dishes from the countries many of students come from alongside a variety of North American favourites.
Drawing on our diverse student population and the countries they're from, we strive to incorporate some of the top dishes from all these countries/areas into our meal plan...and more!
| Japan | Korea | China | Middle East | Latin America | North America |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Sukiyaki |
Bibimbap |
Steamed Vermicelli Rolls |
Jireesh |
Arroz Con Pollo |
Baked Mac n Cheese |
|
Miso Soup |
Japchae |
Chow Mein |
Kofta’s |
Plantains/Patacones |
Chili Cheese Dogs |
|
Yaki Udon |
Bulgogi |
Rou Jia Mo |
Sayadieh |
Panamanian Stewed Sausages |
Homemade doughnuts |
|
Yakitori Skewer Meat/vegetarian |
Jajangmyeon |
Mapo Tofu |
Tabbouleh |
Carimañola |
Stuffed Burgers |
|
Tempura with condiments and assorted pickles |
Tteokbokki |
Char Siu |
Mejardra Freekah |
Tamales |
Poutine Bar |
In addition to incorporating some of these area's top dishes, we strive to celebrate the major cultures of our residents through international days, themed dinners, and shopping with our residents so they can show us the food and ingredients they love!
Dietary accommodations
As part of RFS' commitment to the four A's of food service, we will work to accommodate students dietary needs whether allergies or restrictions to the best of our ability. We will accommodate your dietary needs whether vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, soy-free, halal and more. Our food services team is happy to connect with residents regarding accommodations and make the best plan to ensure a positive, healthy, and delicious food experience.
Commitment to sustainability
Renison Food Services is committed to a sustainable meal plan. Whenever possible we will source local ingredients. If we are not able to source local, we aim to provide Canadian made/produced ingredients. No matter what ingredients we source, all of our suppliers and producers must adhere to sustainable and environmentally responsible practices.
Cooking classes
Renison Food Services offers residents and community members a host of programming opportunities including cooking classes so you can gain valuable life skills and have fun while you're at it!
Examples of past cooking classes include:
- Make your own pasta class
- Make your own tamales class
- Make your own doughnuts class
- Make your own BeaverTails class
Additionally, a huge hit in recent years is our annual Floor Cooking Challenge. Together, teams compete under the advisement of Chef Tim to create their own culinary masterpiece. A decisive judging panel helps to crown the community who makes the best tasting dish. The winning team earns bragging rights and the chance for the meal to be served as an upcoming meal in Renison Food Services' menu rotation!
What is My Pantry?
My Pantry is a fully-stocked student cooking area that enables residents to refine their own cooking skills. The area comes equipped with the ingredients and equipment you'll need to make your own culinary creations.
We are also committed to stocking the area with the items you like best. Just get in touch with our Renison Food Services team and we will work to make it happen! The best part is that this space is open until 11:00pm in case you need a late-night snack.
Sample menus
Check out our sample menus and get a taste for what you can enjoy eating here at Renison!
- View the week 1 sample menu (pdf)
- View the week 2 sample menu (pdf)
- View the week 3 sample menu (pdf)
NOTE: all menus are subject to change.
We also invite you to visit our This Week's Menu webpage to see what we're currently serving up for residents this week.