Serving Students with Religious Diets

 

In partnership with The Office of the Chaplin & SPARC, Penn Dining is proud to serve students with religious dietary needs. We invite you to explore our programs below!

See what’s cooking in our cafes through our online menus. For additional support, please reach out to Sarah Goff, RDN, Wellness Manager for Bon Appetit at Penn Dining.

Kosher Program

Falk Kosher Dining at Penn Hillel

In partnership with Penn Hillel, Falk Kosher Dining is our dedicated Kosher café on campus.  All food is prepared Glatt Kosher under the supervision of the Community Kashrus of Greater Philadelphia.  

Grab-and-Go Retail Options 

Kosher grab-and-go meals are available for purchase at select retail locations using Meal Exchange. Retail locations also accept Dining Dollars, Penn Cash, SFS, cash, and credit. 

Find Kosher grab-and-go options at:

  • Gourmet Grocer, located within 1920 Commons building on Locust Walk
  • Joe's Cafe, located on the ground floor of Wharton's Steinberg-Deitrich Hall
  • Accenture Cafe, located in the Towne Building in the School of Engineering and Applied Science
  • Houston Market, located on the ground floor of Houston Hall

Halal Program

Kings Court English House

In partnership with the Muslim Students Association, Kings Court English House is our dedicated Halal café on campus. 

At Kings Court English House, the following policies are in place:

  • All meat products are certified Halal.
  • Alcoholic beverages (e.g., beer, wine, and spirits) are not used nor stored in the café.
  • The meat or bones of pork, carnivorous animals, and birds of prey are not used nor stored in the café.
  • Stocks are made using bones from certified Halal slaughtered animals as well as fish and shellfish.
  • Non-Halal animal shortenings (such as lard) are not used nor stored in the café.
  • Fish and shellfish are served as part of the Halal dining program.
  • Vegetarian and/or vegan protein options are available at every meal period across campus.
Potential Haram food items

Our Chef Managers are happy to answer questions about ingredients and to provide ingredient labels to guests for review. Our Chef Managers wear dark gray chef coats. If you don’t see a gray coat, ask any of our staff to speak with a manager; they will help you locate one!

  • Cheeses are not reviewed for Halal certification or for which enzymes are utilized within their production.
  • Dessert items are not reviewed for Halal certification or for haram sub-ingredients. Extracts containing alcohol (e.g., vanilla extract) may be used in dessert products.
  • Vinegar, which is produced from alcoholic beverages (e.g., red wine vinegar), is used in the café.
  • Fermented items, which may produce alcohol naturally as a by-product (e.g., kimchi) are used in the café.
  • Alcohol as a Preservative (non-intoxicant levels) may be within purchased products (e.g., soy sauce) in the café.
  • Gelatin may be within purchased products (e.g., marshmallows) found in the café.
Additional Residential Dining Cafés

Select stations at 1920 Commons and Hill House will serve Halal chicken as defined by Halal slaughter and the absence of pork and alcohol as ingredients. These stations will be identified by station clings at the point of service. 

Please note that residential dining cafés outside of Kings Court English House have pork and alcohol products present. Vegetarian and/or vegan protein options are available at every café across campus.

Grab and Go Retail Options

Halal grab-and-go meals are available for purchase at select retail locations using Meal Exchange. Retail locations also accept Dining Dollars, Penn Cash, SFS, cash, and credit. 

Find Halal grab-and-go options at:

  • Gourmet Grocer, located within the 1920 Commons building on Locust Walk
  • Joe’s Café, located on the ground floor of Wharton’s Steinberg-Deitrich Hall
  • Accenture Café, located in the Towne Building in the School of Engineering and Applied Science
  • Houston Market, located on the ground floor of Houston Hall

At Gourmet Grocer, grab-and-go rotisserie chicken is prepared with Halal chicken as defined by Halal slaughter and the absence of pork and alcohol as ingredients. Please note that rotisserie chicken is prepared in a café where pork and alcohol products are present. 

Jain Program

Global Garden at 1920 Commons

In partnership with Penn’s Hindu & Jain Association, Penn Dining offers a full vegetarian meal prepared in accordance with Jain principles daily at Global Garden in 1920 Commons’ all-you-care-to-eat cafe. Global Garden is a dedicated meatless station that serves both vegan and lacto-vegetarian meals; precautions are taken to avoid cross-contact with meat. Meals prepared in accordance with Jain principles will be tagged with an orange Jain icon on menu signage and online menus.  

Additional Dining Options 

Select menu items developed for the Jain program will be noted as “Jain-friendly.” Please be aware that outside of Global Garden at 1920 Commons, meat may be present on the serving line; please speak with a cafe manager for assistance.  For guidance on these offerings, we encourage guests to reach out to Sarah Goff at sarah.goff@cafebonappetit.com.

For information about Grab and Go items, please contact Sarah Goff, RDN, Wellness Manager for Bon Appetit at Penn Dining.