Carte Blanche allows unlimited access to our two All-You-Care-To-Eat Student Restaurants; Rathbone and Brodhead. The Carte Blanche plan also includes 10 Meal Credits per week.
Block Plans include an allotment of Meal Swipes / Credits. Meal Swipes are accepted at Rathbone and Brodhead. For example, if you are on the 200 Block Plan, you have a total of 200 Meal Swipes / Meal Credits per semester.
A Meal Credit is a cash value applied to your food purchases at retail locations on campus for those times when you don't eat in Rathbone or Brodhead. Meal Swipes / Credits do no carry over from fall to spring semester.
Dining Dollars are included with all meal plans and can only be spent at on campus dining locations. Unspent Dining Dollars roll over from fall to spring, but any remaining balance is forfeited at the conclusion of the spring semester.
GoldPLUS works like a debit account, but is encoded right on the Lehigh ID card. GoldPLUS is open to all students, faculty and staff with a valid Lehigh University ID card. GoldPLUS is accepted at hundreds of locations on and off campus, and the balance carries over until you graduate, upon which any remaining balance will be refunded.
When you purchase a meal plan, you have the added benefit of meal credits that you can use at our retail dining locations across campus.
A Meal Credit is a cash value applied to food purchases at retail locations on campus for those times when students don't eat at Rathbone or Brodhead. This increases the flexibility of a meal plan. In exchange for a regular meal swipe students receive a credit toward the total cost of their retail purchase. The balance of the purchase can be paid with GoldPLUS, Dining Dollars or cash, credit or debit.
There are some restrictions depending on meal plan selection. Students participating in the Carte Blanche may use up to 10 meal credits per week at retail dining locations.
Meals on a person's account are to be consumed by the person on the ID card. Purchases for others using these meals are not part of the plan. Guest passes are to be used for precisely that purpose. However, guest passes are not included in all meal plans. Dining Dollars and GoldPLUS can also be used to purchase guest meals.
Yes! We have a great partnership with Grubhub which allows students to order pick up from any on campus retail dining location or delivery from Hawk's Nest. Students can pay for their orders using Meal Credits, Dining Dollars, GoldPLUS, credit or debit.
Please click here to learn about all of the benefits Grubhub has to offer the Lehigh community.
Yes. We have three (3) meal periods Monday - Thursday: Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner. Hot Breakfast begins at 7am at Rathbone and 7:30am at Brodhead, and resumes until 10:00am at all locations. Continental Breakfast (bagels, cereals, muffins, etc.) is held between 10:00am and 10:30 a.m. Hot Breakfast and Continental Breakfast are both considered the same general meal period, even though the meal selection changes.
Carte Blanche and Block Plan balances are available for use during the entire semester until they are exhausted. Dining dollars carry over from Fall to Spring semester ONLY.
Report your lost or stolen card to the GoldPLUS/ID Office at (610) 758-6169 located in the LU Ideal Office at University Drive and Taylor Avenue. If the office cannot be reached, the voicemail will explain what to do after hours or on weekends.
Your Lehigh ID is your personal identification and should be with you at all times to access your residence hall, academic building, meal plan and/or GoldPLUS account. It should be safeguarded it at all times. For your protection, your LU ID must be presented to a cashier at any Lehigh Dining venue or swiped at any self-checkout kiosk to access your meal plan / Dining Dollars / GoldPLUS. Students may not borrow another student’s LU ID.
Lost or Stolen LU ID
If your LU ID card is lost or stolen, you are strongly encouraged to immediately deactivate your card (Building Access, GoldPLUS and Meal Plan) on the student portal. More information and specific instructions can be found here.
A replacement LU ID card may be obtained at the IDEAL Office, located at 42 University Drive, during regular office hours (see ID Card Office Home).
If your card is lost or stolen outside of IDEAL Office hours, please see your Gryphon to obtain a Red Card for admission to Rathbone or Brodhead Student Restaurants.
Forgotten LU ID
If you are at a dining location and forgot your ID, we kindly ask that you go retrieve your ID.
Lehigh Dining has a full time Registered Dietitian on campus to navigate your best dining options on campus. Keri Lasky will gladly meet with you to share the best food options for you. Rathbone Dining Hall features Simple Servings, which offers a complete meal minus the seven top food allergens plus gluten. Simple Servings was developed to address the growing number of students who arrive on college campuses with special dietary needs. Simple Servings' plain and simple wellness-promoting foods also appeal to guests who are focused on ingredients, nutritional value or portion sizes for weight control, blood sugar control or other health reasons. You can contact Keri at e00322@lehigh.edu or by phone at (484) 357-2258.
Yes. With authorization from the Health Center, please contact dining services at 610.758.5169 or 610.758.0701 (Cort at Lower U.C.) or Rathbone Dining Hall at 610.758.4169 or 610.758.1530 (Rathbone Student Restaurant) to arrange meal pick up.
Meal Plans may be changed according to the meal plan requirements through the tenth day of class each semester. To change your meal plan, log into the Housing and Dining Self Service; Select Meal Plans; Select Current Semester as the Term; Select the desired meal plan; Click Submit.
Meal plan exemptions or reductions will only be considered for those who demonstrate a financial hardship or special dietary consideration, including food allergies. These requests will be vetted through the appropriate departments and students who submit a request will be contacted regarding next steps in the review process.
Meal Plan refunds after the start of the semester for students who register and/or purchase meals on a Meal Plan but withdraw from the University or move off campus will receive a meal plan refund prorated according to the number of unused weeks remaining on the plan. Dining Dollars are non-refundable. Any student suspended or expelled from the university will not be granted a meal plan refund. A student suspended may receive a prorated meal plan credit based on the week following the last meal purchased, which will be used toward the purchase of a meal plan the semester immediately following the period of suspension.
As a first-year student, you have the option of Category 1A (Carte Blanche) or Category 1 (225 Block Plan, 200 Block Plan or 175 Block Plan).
The Carte Blanche, 225 Block Plan, 200 Block Plan or 175 Block Plan are per semester and may be a more flexible option for a busy student. Upper Class student meal plan selection depends upon where you live. Please visit our Plan Options page for more information on meal plan options.
