Columbia University Dining

Video Contest

CREATE A VIDEO ABOUT DINING AND YOUR GROUP COULD WIN A 50 MEAL DINING PLAN!

The Rules: Form a group between 1 and 5 students and create a video about Dining - it can be about anything you want that relates to Dining (John Jay, the food, the workers, dining plans, your experiences, or make up a skit or scene, etc.) BUT it has to be tastefully done. It can be funny, but it cannot be a negative video about Dining. Feel free to email Kristina, kaf2003@columbia.edu, with any questions if you need more clarification about what this means.

Dining will be viewing all of the videos to make sure that they are appropriate, and then we will post the videos on the Columbia University Dining Services Group page. Anyone and everyone can vote for their favorite video using the "Like" feature, and the group with the most "Likes" will win the contest.

The Prize: Each member of the winning group (between 1-5 students) will receive a 50 meal Dining Plan for the entire upcoming year.

The Deadlines: Please email your video to Kristina at kaf2003@columbia.edu by Wednesday, April 22, along with the names of each member of your group AND the name of your video.
Dining will review all of the videos and post them on the Columbia University Dining Services Group page by Monday, April 27. The voting will take place from April 27 - Monday, May 11 at 12pm noon. The winners will be announced later that day.

File Size: Please make sure that your video adheres to the file size that Facebook accepts. Thus, videos will need to be less than 1024 MB and less than 20 minutes.

Questions: Email Kristina at kaf2003@columbia.edu with any questions.

New in FBC

What's new in Ferris Booth Commons for the Spring? Check out these new additions:

• Delicious Burger Grillers from Ferris Booth: Served Monday-Thursday for both lunch and dinner. Choices include beef, veggie, or turkey burger, along with unlimited toppings, a toasted bun, chips, and a fountain soda for $7.50.
• Pizza will still be served every day, but will now reside in the warming cylinder on the counter with the soup condiments.
• Gourmet Salads: Try the new Spicy Shrimp and Avocado, Asian Mandarin Chicken, or Grilled Wild Salmon salads for $7.50.
  
• Sushi Buffet @ dinner: All-you-can fit into your container!
  
• Whole Wheat Pasta special of the week!
• Fresh Fruit platters and smoothies for $5.95 - fresh fruit, including mangoes, pineapples, and berries, sliced daily.
• Salsa Bar: Enjoy as a compliment to your burrito or purchase as a side dish for $2.95.
• Curry: Every day @ lunch.
• Seasonal, Local Dinners: Plated dinner specials featuring seasonal and local entrees for $10.95.
• Chef Ray's Nutrition Corner: Located just as you walk into the eatery, on the right side of FBC. Look for more tips, articles, and nutrition advice over the upcoming weeks.
• Cupcakes in the dessert station for $3.75 each!
  

Closing of Tasti D-Lite

Dining Services was notified on Friday, January 16 that Tasti D-Lite would be permanently closing its location on the fourth floor of Lerner Hall due to steeply declining sales. Dining Services has begun the process of assessing potential replacement vendors. More information on new use for the space will be available soon.

Order By Phone

JJ’s Place and the Kosher Deli will be launching new Order-by-Phone systems for pick-up orders this semester.

For JJ's Place: You can order any food item from the menu in advance by calling 212-851-5801 and can pick it up approximately 15 minutes after the phone call. Just grab your freshly made, bagged order from the line and take their receipt to the cashier stand to purchase it.

The phone ordering service will be available Sunday-Thursday from 6:00pm and 1:00am.

For the Kosher Deli: You can request made-to-order sandwiches and other menu items by phone at 646.584.0491 and pick them up at the Deli. The phone ordering is available Sunday to Thursday, 11:00am to 3:00 pm and 4:00pm to 6:30pm.

JJ's Snacks

JJ's Place is now offering a catering service to students for study breaks, meetings, and groups of all sorts called JJ's Snacks. The menu includes a variety of party trays, such as chicken fingers, wings, veggies, sandwiches, and coffee packages. Flex, Dining Dollars, cash, or Student Group ID Number are accepted forms of payment, and you can pick up your purchases at JJ's Place. For more information, visit JJ's Snacks .

Columbia receives an "A-" on College Sustainability Report Card

The Sustainable Endowments Institute releases its College Sustainability Report Card each year, which grades 300 leading colleges by looking at campus greening practices and endowment policies.

2009: Columbia ranked as one of the top Overall College Sustainability Leaders with an "A-," our best score to date. Dining Services received an "A" for our use of local, fair trade, and organic products on campus, our partnership with the student group LOAF (Local Organic Agriculture Friends), and our use of biodegradable take-away containers.

Ethos Water

Ethos water is now sold at JJ's Place and Ferris Booth Commons - $1.99 for a small water bottle and $2.99 for a liter. Ethos is a "brand with a social mission - helping children around the world get clean water and raising awareness of the World Water Crisis." Ethos was created as a startup social venture in 2001 and was acquired by Starbucks in 2005. Now Starbucks sells Ethos water at most of their locations, with 5 cents of every purchase being donated to Starbucks' efforts of making $10 million dollars in grant commitments towards humanitarian water programs by 2010. Please visit Ethos Water for more information about this organization.  

Flex & Connect to the Columbia Community

With a Flex Account on your CUID:

• Make quick and easy purchases at 13 on-campus dining locations.
• Manage your transactions at the University Bookstore
• Don’t fumble for change for the copy machines.
• Buy snacks and beverages at select vending machine without carrying cash.
• Explore your community! The Flex Account is accepted at 42 (and always expanding) area vendors.

Sign up for all this FLEXibility today and experience these great back-to-school special offers!

• $5 off any purchase at Campus Foods.com for the week of September 15 - September 21.
• 5% off ALL purchases at Fairway Market when you use your card.

 

Omelette Bar

Stop by FBC on Friday from 11am-2pm and try out our new omelette bar. Featuring a made-to-order omelette, a bagel, sausage, and home fries for $7.95. The only thing we're missing is Wilma!

Curry Now on Thursdays

Miss the curry at Ferris Booth Commons? Come to FBC on Thursdays and delve into your favorite dish from the daily special bar, located right next to the sushi bar.  

Columbia Community Garden

The Columbia Community Garden is the product of a collaborative effort between Columbia students, led by the Columbia University Food Sustainability Project and EarthCo, and Columbia Facilities. The garden aims to demonstrate the potential for urban agriculture to support the development of a just food system and to engage the community in growing healthy, sustainable food. The garden also functions as a public space for people to relax, interact, and connect with the process of growing food. Produce from the garden will be sold through the student cooperative grocery CoreFoods, which is located in the basement of John Jay Hall. If you are interested in becoming involved with the garden or would like to learn more about how students are addressing food sustainability issues at Columbia and in the surrounding community, please contact Becky Davies at rmd2154@columbia.edu or read the CU Food Sustainability Project's blog.

Taco Bar in FBC

Tired of walking to Chipotle for tacos? Delicious tacos are now only a few steps away with the new Taco Bar at Ferris Booth! Choose between Crispy Fish, Grilled Steak, Grilled Chicken, or Vegan Tacos. The $7.95 price ($6.95 for Vegan Tacos) includes guacamole and your choice of mango or hot pepper salsa. Add a hard or soft shell, along with all your favorite toppings, and enjoy tacos just how you like them!

John Jay Additions

While we made vast improvements to John Jay last year, including take-away on the weekends, a delicious fresh fruit bar, and a complete redesign in the servery, the newest addition to John Jay Dining Hall is a vitamin-water fountain machine featuring flavors like Strawberry-Kiwi, Lemon-Lime, and Tropical Mango.You can also look forward to the popular and tasty dessert pizzas at the Pizza Station!

$9.99 Cases of Water in JJ's Place

Lugging cases of water around is never fun, but now it's much easier. JJ’s Place is now selling a case of 35 water bottles for only $9.99! Next time you’re thinking about walking to Morton Williams to pick up water, remember it's available right here on campus.

 

JJ’s Place also has a few new additions to the menu. You will now be able to pick up a Hot Churro, Funnel Cake, or Hot Pretzel to go along with your Chicken Fingers, Burgers and Wings. Late night dining just got that much better!