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Dining Services at Lesley: Fall 2023

Campus Hospitality Services at Lesley: Fall 2023

Lesley offers a variety of dining options and meal plans for commuter and residential students. Our main cafeteria, Washburn Dining Hall, is our full-service dining hall located on South Campus. Lesley also offers three cafés on both our residence campuses and one on our academic campuses on Porter Campus. Students can choose from several full-service meal plans, commuter block plans or a la carte cash options. Pick the one that's right for you!

Our Mission

Lesley Hospitality is dedicated to offering a wholistic student experience where healthy, nutritious foods are readily available, menu options meet the dietary needs of our diverse community and the students’ overall health and well-being is factored into every meal period and special event. Dining options are available on all three campuses, with varied menus that offer a range of cooked-to-order meals, ready-made foods, and snacks.

Dietary Accommodations - Food Allergies, Dietary Restrictions, Kosher & Halal Options

Lesley Hospitality provides an inclusive dining experience. Our food service managers and staff work closely with students who have food allergies and other dietary restrictions.

  • Vegan and vegetarian selections are available at all locations.
  • Students with dietary restrictions and food allergies should contact Disability and Access Services at disabilityaccess@lesley.edu so we can accommodate your needs.
  • Most foods purchased follow the Islamic Law for Halal meals. Please contact Director of Lesley Hospitality, Tim Grills, hospitality@lesley.edu for more information and to set up a meeting with our dining team.
  • Kosher meals, Lesley does not have a kosher kitchen so Orthodox Kosher meals are not available here at Lesley. Lesley continues to work to reestablish the partnership Lesley and Harvard had before the pandemic. Please contact Director of Lesley Hospitality, Tim Grills, hospitality@lesley.edu for more information and updates on this partnership.     

Dining Locations

For daily menus and hours of operation at each location, as well as nutritional information, please visit the Lesley Hospitality website.

Washburn Commons on South Campus Washburn Commons is the all-you-care-­to-enjoy dining venue at Lesley. We offer two daily hot entrees, a customizable sauté station, grill, salad bar, freshly prepared soups and made-to-order deli. Vegan entrees are offered at every meal period, and the desserts are irresistible! All meals are served on reusable dinnerware to reduce waste and take-out is not permitted.

Ava’s Kitchen on Doble Campus Located on the first floor in the Student Center, Ava's offers Meal Exchange Café Dining of cooked-to-order pub-style burgers, pizza, salads and sandwiches.  

Porter Café in University Hall In the heart of the Porter Campus, you will find a breakfast/lunch grill and 24/7 micro-market (Coming by Spring 2024). Snacks, sandwiches and salads are available in the morning and afternoon. Meal Exchange available for breakfast and lunch only.

Sherrill Café on South Campus Freshly brewed coffee, espresso drinks, freshly baked pastries, salads and sandwiches are always a hit at Sherrill Cafe.

Need to get around Lesley campuses take a look at our shuttle service.

ID Card Access to Residential Dining Halls

A valid Lesley ID card is needed to enter all Lesley buildings including our dining halls and cafés. Only current Lesley students, faculty and staff who have an approved Lesley ID will have card access.


Meal Classification & Payment Options

Lesley offers All-You-Care-To-Eat, Meal Equivalence, and Café Service dining options that can be paid for through a Meal Swipe, Dining Dollars, CashLynx, cash or debit/credit card. These terms are explained below.

A meal swipe occurs when a student with a residential or commuter meal plan uses their ID card to pay at the register; when the ID is scanned, a meal is deducted from the total remaining on the student’s chosen meal plan. For students on a residential meal plan, the number of meals they have each week is replenished every Friday morning. For students with a commuter plan, a meal swipe will be deducted from the block of meals purchased though CashLynx.

Dining Dollars are added to the meal plans of residential students at the beginning of each semester. Dining Dollars can only be used at our café to purchase snacks, beverages or items over the meal equivalence meal. Unused Dining Dollars expire at the end of each semester. Dining Dollars don’t carry over to next semester.

CashLynx are funds that may be added to a student, faculty or staff ID card and used to purchase food on campus or at designated area stores. For more information, see https://lesleycard.com/.

All-You-Care-To-Enjoy (AYCTE) A student who uses a meal swipe or pays the door price for a meal at Washburn Commons can go back to any of the food stations as often as they like during that meal period, so long as they do not leave the location; students need to re-swipe their ID card each time they enter.

Meal Equivalence or Meal Exchange. A student with a residential or commuter meal plan eating at Ava's Cafe, Porter Café or Sherrill Café can use a meal swipe to purchase a main meal item, beverage, side, and dessert constituting a “meal equivalence”. Additional items may be purchased with Dining Dollars, CashLynx, cash or credit/debit card.

Café Service. Any a la carte food items purchased at one of the cafés may be paid for with Dining Dollars, CashLynx, cash or credit/debit card.

Join our Dining Advisory Group

Our student Dining Advisory Group regularly meets to discuss our program including:  special events, menus, new ideas, challenges, success stories and service. We want to hear from you! Your ideas and suggestions are instrumental in shaping our program and offerings. We meet on the third Monday of the month at Ava’s Café, 5:30pm.


Meal Plan for Residential Students

A meal plan is required for all students who are part of our housing program, and residential students are automatically enrolled on an All Access + 50 plan. All freshman students receive the All Access Plan with 50 Dining Dollars and 10 Meal Exchanges per week for one year, or until they have completed 30 credits, as part of their housing program package. Freshman students are invited to purchase the VIP All Access Plan with 200 Dining Dollars and 15 Meal Exchanges for only $150 more. This is a great value and especially convenient for students living on the Doble campus where Ava's Kitchen accepts Meal Exchanges.

Default Plan

 

Meal Swipes per week

Dining Dollars

Meal Exchange

Price

All Access + 50

 

Unlimited

50

10/wk

$3790

 

VIP Plan with additional DB and Meal Exchanges

VIP All Access + 200

 

Unlimited

200

15/wk

Add $150

Returning and transferring resident students with 30 credits have the option to change their plan. Returning and transfer students will receive the All Access Plan with 50 Dining Dollars and 10 Meal Exchanges as part of their housing program package. They will have the option to either purchase the VIP Plan or select from one of the reduced plans listed below at a reduced price.

Students have the option within the add/drop period to request to change their meal plan by emailing hospitality@lesley.edu

Default Plan

Meal Swipes per week

Dining Dollars

Meal Exchange

Price

All Access + 50

Unlimited

50

10/wk

$3790

VIP Plan with additional DB and Meal Exchanges

VIP All Access + 200

Unlimited

200

15/wk

Add $150

Reduced Plans

Block 160 +350

As many or as few as you need up to 160

350

3/wk

$2990

Weekly 10 +350

10

350

3/wk

$2990

Students can track their remaining meal swipes and check their Dining Dollars and CashLynx balances at https://lesleycard.com/. Click the login/register button and set up your account. If you need assistance, please contact Transact Customer Service at 888-841-3340. 

Commuter students, graduate students, faculty, and staff may purchase a block meal plan or pay at the door.


Meal Plans & Door Rates for Commuters, Graduate Students, Staff & Faculty

Lesley Hospitality offers special value campus meal options for commuter students, including graduate students, as well as faculty and staff.

Select the plan you prefer and visit the Lesley Hospitality campus location that's right for you.

Plan

Meal Swipes per Semester

Price

Price per AYCTE Meal

100 Block

100

$900

$9.00

50 Block

50

$463

$9.25

25 Block

25

$238

$9.50

10 Block

10

$115

$11.50

Each Block contains Meal Swipes to use at Washburn Dining Commons for all-you-care-to-enjoy meals. Meal Swipes can also be converted to a Meal Exchange for a pre-determined meal at one of our Retail Cafes – Ava’s, Porter, and Sherrill.

To sign up for a Block Meal Plan:

  1. Place the money on your Lesley ID card at http://www.lesleycard.com via CashLynx.
  2. Email Lesley Hospitality hospitality@lesley.edu with the 603-number from the back of your Lesley ID card, and we'll place the meal plan on your card once the funds have been confirmed.

2023-24 Door Prices

Students, faculty and staff may purchase individual meals at the door at the following prices using CashLynx, cash, or credit/debit card. Those who anticipate eating meals frequently on campus can save money by buying a block meal plan.

  • Breakfast: $8.50
  • Lunch: $12.50
  • Dinner: $14.50
  • Brunch: $14.50

Commuter Food Pantry

What to expect

The pantry has breakfast, lunch, and snacks available, and a small supply of allergen free items for students who are gluten or dairy free.

We have two refrigerators, a toaster oven, toaster, microwave for heating up meals. We also have a Keurig machine if all you need is a cup of coffee to make it through the day.  (Students are encouraged to bring a reusable mug).

The Lesley University Commuter Pantry located on Doble Campus, with an interior entrance located down the stairs below the White Hall dorms. Because we are only on request until we are staffed, we ask that a 4-hour notice is given so we can open the pantry. The pantry is closed on weekends, school breaks, school holidays and snow days.

Registering for the Food Pantry

All eligible commuter students (undergraduates and graduate students) can register to use the food pantry.  Simply send an email to hospitality@lesley.edu or stop by our location for a form to fill out. Once you have registered, and for a short time until we hire and schedule our work study students, we will open the pantry upon request only during our hours of operation of 7:00 am to 5:30 pm Monday through Friday except holidays. Please email hospitality@lesley.edu to request a time to stop by.

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