Battle of the Dining Halls 2025
Presenting: The Battle of the Dining Halls
Five Dining Halls. Two awards: One trophy and one champion belt. On March 25 at 2:00 p.m. in Lerner Auditorium, there'll be an epic food showdown and all Columbia Dining Plan Holders are invited to attend!
About the Event
Five dining halls - John Jay, JJ's Place, Ferris Booth Commons, Chef Mike's Sub Shop and Faculty House - will each prepare a signature dish based on the event theme, which will be announced at the end of February.
The Judges' Choice Award
The dishes will be presented to a panel of student judges and a celebrity Chef guest judge. Together, they'll score the dishes on taste, presentation, and more. The dining hall with the best score will win Judges' Choice and the champion belt.
This year, we're excited to welcome back author and TV host, Chef Robert Irvine.
The People's Choice Award
Give the people their say! All event attendees are invited to participate in a live vote to determine which dish - which dining hall - stole their hearts (and stomachs). The dining hall with most votes will win the People's Choice and take home the trophy.
The Food
At Battle of the Dining Halls, we go all out. It is a competition, after all! Each dining hall brings their A-game and the food does not disappoint. Check out some of the dishes produced at previous Battles:
Image Carousel with 7 slides
A carousel is a rotating set of images. Use the previous and next buttons to change the displayed slide
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Slide 1: Soup Dumplings
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Slide 2: Korean-style birria taco
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Slide 3: Mini pot pie: braised short rib and mac and cheese in a pastry shell
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Slide 4: Arroz con pollo
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Slide 5: Madras taco
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Slide 6: Vegan nigiri trio
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Slide 7: Chinese-spiced beef bao buns
How to Attend
This is a free event open to Columbia Dining Plan holders. We will not accept dining dollars, Flex, credit card, or guests swipes as a form of entry for non-Plan holders.
Per dining plan policy, emergency meal tickets cannot be used at special events.
Registration is Required and Opens March 3
Registration opened on March 3 and closes on March 13 or once event has reached capacity, whichever is sooner. We encourage students to register early as the number of guests is capped due to capacity restrictions in Lerner Auditorium.
Waitlist & Walk-In Guests
A waitlist will open once capacity is reached. Waitlist guests will be granted entry to the event once confirmed guests have been admitted.
A select number of walk-in guests may also be admitted, space permitting.
Post-Event Celebration
Columbia Dining will recreate the dishes served at Battle of the Dining Halls during the week of April 14 for students who are unable to attend the event.