October 2026 Dining Advisory Committee Recap

On October 9, members of the Columbia Dining management team met with the Dining Advisory Committee to discuss student feedback and long-term initiatives. 

October 28, 2026

About the Dining Advisory Committee (DAC)

The DAC is a monthly forum during which elected student representatives from school councils and other organizations share student feedback with the Columbia Dining management team. These meetings help to inform Columbia Dining on the student perspective, providing constructive direction on menus, operations, events, and special initiatives. At the start of the academic year, all councils are asked to appoint at least one representative to the DAC.

The DAC has helped shape Dining's program since the year 2000. Together, we've made big (and small!) changes to our program based on real student feedback, including:

  • Changing the cheese at Chef Don's
  • The return to 24 hour dining
  • Launching Battle of the Dining Halls

If you have questions about the DAC, please contact [email protected]. 

Notes from October Meeting

The October DAC included representatives from the Engineering Student Council, Columbia College Student Council, and Residence Hall Leadership Organization. 

What Students Like

Council and RHLO representatives shared positive student feedback on:

  • Menu enhancements and signature offerings, including Ferris' new salad/grain bar and dessert action station, Grace Dodge's ramen and burgers, John Jay's soft serve flavors, and Chef Mike's Caesar sub. 
  • Customization and flexibility in meal building: students like the ordering system at Chef Don's and the ability to customize or adapt meals to specific diets by visiting multiple stations across a dining hall.
  • Healthy and inclusive food options: students appreciate that the Ferris and Grace Dodge salad bars and the John Jay Action Station allow students to build healthy meals and provide variety for students with dietary restrictions. 
  • Convenience-focused improvements: the expanded hours at Faculty House and Chef Mike's, as well as the ability to mobile order, make dining more accessible for students.

Discussion Topics & Improvements We're Making Based on Your Feedback

  • To expand menu variety, Dining is exploring the following options:
    • Adding another menu concept to the John Jay Action Station in addition to bao buns and tacos
    • Adding a side salad option at the Grace Dodge grill for students who want more vegetables with their meal
  • Berry variety in the dining halls and seasonality: we select our produce based on seasonality to ensure freshness and peak flavor. This means you won't see some varieties of fruit - like blueberries - in the dining halls right now. We hear how important it is for you to have fresh fruits available, so we will continue to explore how we can provide more variety based on what is in season. 
  • To help you make informed choices about where to eat:
    • We're adding the Ferris Salad/Grain Bar protein, grain, and dressing to the online menu. 
    • We'll do more to promote the everyday breakfast items available at JJ's, including omelets, French toast, and pancakes.
  • Other items that we discussed and are in-the-works:
    • Investigating rounding errors with the capacity indicators on dining location pages
    • Options to improve availability of hot and cold subs during late night hours at Chef Mike's
    • Availability of nutritional information

How to Share Feedback

If you have additional feedback about our program, reach out to your elected school representatives or contact us through our other feedback channels.