Harvard Dining to Offer Expanded Meal Options in Spring Semester in Response to Survey

Harvard University Dining Services announced on Tuesday that it will roll out an array of updates to meal offerings for the spring semester, including new lunch options and international-themed brunches and dinners.

The changes are in response to a student survey conducted by HUDS, which solicited feedback on food quality and information about dietary habits. According to the emailed announcement, more than a quarter of undergraduates participated in the survey.

Changes coming to the dining service include themed brunches, a wider breakfast variety, and “deconstructed themed menus” on Monday and Wednesday nights. These menus are designed to allow students to create “highly customizable dishes,” with themes such as mezze, dim sum, and ramen.

On Tuesdays and Fridays, HUDS will also offer grill specials such as Memphis hot chicken sandwiches, schnitzel, carnitas, and birria tacos.

New lunch options will focus on “lighter, portable fare,” like hot sandwiches, artichoke flatbread, and vegan cottage pie, according to the email. Starting on Feb. 15, HUDS will launch brunches inspired by global and regional cuisines. Menus for other meals will feature dishes from countries including China, France, Lebanon, Spain, and Thailand, according to the announcement.

Still, some students met the promise of expanded global fare with trepidation.

“I guess it’s hard because you’re mass cooking,” Kai B.J. Wong ’26 said. “Sometimes I get excited when I see something Japanese or Chinese, and then I’ll eat it and it’s like, ‘Oh, it’s not the same dish, but it’s okay.’”

Others embraced any opportunity for new options.

“Gonna make the dhall more interesting this time around,” Ivan A. Garcia ’25 said.

Notably absent from the changes is an expanded hot breakfast option, a longtime request from students. In November 2022, nearly 2,000 undergraduates signed a petition for hot breakfast service across all upperclassman dining halls.

Some students said they were disappointed by the omission.

“It’s ridiculous,” Shaina L. Adams ’26 said. “It doesn’t make any sense to me.”

HUDS spokesperson Crista Martin has previously stated that HUDS works “in close coordination” with the College to make decisions around dining hall operations and “manage financial resources efficiently without compromising community goals.”

On weekdays, hot breakfast is currently only served in Annenberg Hall and Quincy House, which Noah H. Chung ’26 said raises concerns about whether dining options are “equitable.”

“Either they should have absolutely no hot breakfast for all of them or have it for everyone,” Chung said.

—Staff writer J. Sellers Hill can be reached at sellers.hill@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @SellersHill.

—Staff writer Dylan H. Phan can be reached at dylan.phan@thecrimson.com. Follow him on Twitter @dylanhieuphan.