Food Allergies and Celiac Disease

At Bon Appétit at Penn Dining, we plan café-specific menus and cook from scratch in each location. From simmering stocks to finishing sauces and roasting meats, our approach allows us to provide fresh foods from whole ingredients. This allows students to customize many café options to meet their personal dietary needs.

We safely serve students with food allergies and celiac disease every day. We have clear protocols that account for our open kitchens and scratch-cooking methods to ensure allergens are handled and labeled appropriately. We also look to the recommendations from expert professional organizations, such as Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE), to guarantee our approach remains current and reflects best practice guidelines. We would love to hear from you and can assist you in identifying food choices.

If you have food allergy concerns, our well-trained chefs and registered dietitians are here to assist you with menu options that meet your dietary needs. While our culinary teams receive significant training about food allergies, please keep in mind that our dishes are prepared in open kitchens and the top 9 allergens and gluten are present in all cafés.

Data:

Over 1800 students who report at least one special dietary need
63 staff members SimplyOASIS certified in 2024
2 Registered Dietitian Nutritionists on Penn Dining’s Wellness Team
Weekly pre-service allergen training

Your Resources At-A-Glance

An individual meeting with a registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) on our Wellness Team to help you develop a plan to navigate your dining options. They can also help address ongoing questions and concerns as well as connect you with café managers.
An introduction to the dining management team, giving you direct access to individuals responsible for food preparation.
Online menus for each dining location. Online menus list all ingredient and allergen information for house-made items. (More on that next!)
Access to purchased ingredient food labels in the café, upon request*
Fresh gloves, utensils, and/or pans at made-to-order stations to reduce cross- contact concerns, upon request*.
Portions of food served directly from the kitchen batch that have not been on the service line, upon request*.
Dedicated stations that avoid the top-9 allergens and gluten in select cafés, called SimplyOASIS. (Read on to learn more!)

*Please direct these requests to a café manager.

Finding A Manager

Questions? Comments? Concerns? We encourage you to speak with a manager during your visit.

Photos of our managers are found on “Meet the Managers” boards at the entrance of every café. Our Chef Managers can also be identified by their dark gray chef coats.

If you’re having trouble finding a manager, don’t fret! Simply ask any staff member to speak with a manager and one will be out to meet you.

Looking for extra support? Bon Appétit at Penn Dining has two on-site registered dietitians to help you navigate the café. We welcome you to reach out to Sarah Goff, RDN at sarah.goff@cafebonappetit.com to start the conversation.

Food Allergies and Celiac Disease