Welcome Class of 2028
We believe that food brings people together. Our team works hard every day and is committed to providing the Lehigh community with an extraordinary dining experience that is consistently fresh, delicious and nutritious throughout our on campus locations. Lehigh is happy to offer a wide variety of cuisines and options.
Our dining program prides itself on being forward thinking, innovative and dynamic. Our professional chefs develop menus that include vegan and vegetarian options and cater to those with special dietary needs. We are always happy to discuss our menus to accommodate your specific needs. Our full-time, on-campus Registered Dietitian is a great resource to help students achieve personal dietary goals or guidance with special diets. Lehigh Dining also offers nutritional support, education and programs throughout the entire year that are confidential and free. Simply contact our team to set up an appointment.
We also feature our own on-campus bakery that offers made-from-scratch brownies, cakes, cookies, pies, tarts and other delicious, freshly made bakery treats. We look forward to meeting and serving you this year.
Welcome to Lehigh University!
[click the image above to view our 2023 - 2024 Dining Guide]
First Year Meal Plans
Learn about the meal plans available to first year students who live on campus
Carte Blanche
Unlimited Meal Swipes per semester, $100 Dining Dollars, 10 Meal Credits per week, 5 Guest Meals
Price: $3,900
225 Block Plan
225 Meal Swipes per semester, $300 Dining Dollars, Multiple Meal Credits per Meal Period, 5 Guest Meals
Price: $3,550
200 Block Plan
200 Meal Swipes per semester, $350 Dining Dollars, Multiple Meal Credits per Meal Period, 5 Guest Meals
Price: $3,550
Frequently Asked Questions
FAQ from first year students and parents
As a residential campus, our goal is for students to experience all that Lehigh has to offer and engage in socialization in dining locations (an important part of college experience.) Dining together fosters community and having a meal plan makes eating convenient, saves time and offers an abundance of nutritious options.
The best meal plan is the one that fits your lifestyle. Athletes and students who tend to eat smaller, more frequent meals will benefit from the Carte Blanche plan because of its unlimited access to our all-you-care-to-eat student restaurants; Rathbone and Brodhead. Those who prefer to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner Monday - Friday and brunch and dinner Saturday - Sunday should consider the 225 Block Plan. Our 200 Block Plan offers great flexibility and are popular with both first year and upper level students.
Meal swipes are used at our all-you-care-to-eat student restaurants: Rathbone & Brodhead. One meal swipe per meal period allows students to dine in or take out.
A meal credit is cash value applied to food purchases at retail locations on campus. In exchange for a meal swipe, students receive credit toward the total cost of a retail purchase.
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. Meal Credits reset every Friday morning
Meal Credit Amounts:
Breakfast $5.00
Lunch, Brunch & Dinner $7.00
This declining balance account can be used exclusively at all Lehigh University Dining locations.. Dining Dollars are non-refundable and carry over from Fall semester to Spring semester.
To add Dining Dollars, Visit go.lehigh.edu/housing and select 'My Housing and Dining Portal' or simply click here.
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 (including on-campus dining locations), and the balance carries over until you graduate, upon which any remaining balance will be refunded. First Year Students open an account via online orientation on the portal.
You can ask any cashier for your balance or check your balance online by following the steps below.
You can ask any cashier for your balance or check your balance online by following the steps below.
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 more about all of the benefits Grubhub has to offer the Lehigh community.
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.
Carte Blanche and Block Plan balances are available for use during the entire semester until they are exhausted. Unused Meal Swipes do not carry over from semester to semester. Dining dollars carry over from Fall to Spring semester ONLY.
Lehigh Dining employs a full time Registered Dietitian on campus to help you 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. 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 and/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.
Initially, all Transfer Students will be asked to select a Category IA or Category I meal plan when completing their housing contract. After housing assignments are made, students who are eligible to change their meal plan will be notified.
Meal plan eligibility is based on housing assignment.
Please click here to view our meal plan eligibility chart.
