Swarthmore Dining

Department Overview

Dining in community is at the heart of the College experience. Gathering to share a meal brings a chance to rest, share stories, and build lasting relationships with friends and colleagues. 

Swarthmore Dining is proud to serve our community and provide nutritious and satisfying food in a welcoming setting to our students, faculty, and staff, every day. Our mission is to offer a diverse menu using the highest-quality ingredients, highlighting locally grown and sustainably produced products whenever possible. Our menu always includes vegetarian and vegan options, as well as accommodations for our community members who have dietary restrictions. 

We are always open to feedback, suggestions, and recipe ideas! Reach out to us at dining@swarthmore.edu anytime.

Dining Highlights

The Dining Center is now open, offering a reimagined dining experience for students, faculty, and staff.

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students eating

The Dining Center

We are proud to offer a revitalized dining experience at the new Dining Center! Part of the Dining and Community Commons, the Dining Center offers a greater variety of food choices, increased seating capacity, including outdoor seating, and is fully accessible.

Two people in green uniforms stand behind a counter with food displayed, smiling

Local Food

In addition to buying directly from a number of local farmers and food producers, we are proud to work with many local, privately owned and operated food distributors. Each of these companies feature locally produced items, provide employment to area residents, and support communities in our region. We strive to create our menus with ingredients that are locally sourced, environmentally sustainable, and produced in equitable and safe work environments.

Our local food providers
squash

Sustainable Practices

Our Dining program supports the College’s sustainability goals through sourcing local foods whenever possible, offering programs for reusable containers and utensils, collaborating closely with the Office of Sustainability on waste management practices, and more. With the opening of the new Dining Center, part of the Dining and Community Commons, we are operating in a space built with the latest in sustainable technologies, that is powered by all-electric energy from renewable resources.

DCC courtyard rendering

Harvest Dinner

Our yearly tradition brings the Swarthmore community together to celebrate fall with locally sourced seasonal specials and showcases the delicious local foods that we regularly serve.

Dining services members serve apple cider from fountain to students during local harvest dinner.

Surprise a Friend with a Birthday Cake from Swarthmore Dining!

Too busy to run to the store to buy a cake for your friend’s birthday? Not enough time to bake one? We are happy to make you a custom cake for the special day!

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birthday cake!