Dining & Vending

We offer meal plans to students who live both on and off campus. Explore available meal plans.

To add or change your meal plan, log into the ID Card Portal with your NetID and password.

All retail dining is 40% off when using Discount Dollars.

Review the terms and conditions of student meal plans.

Discount Dollars

Discount Dollars are part of your chosen meal plan and set up as a declining balance account on your ID card. For detailed information on Discount Dollars and other campus funds, please visit the Campus Funds & Gift Cards page.

Note: Discount Dollars do not activate a discount for prepackaged goods and bottled beverages or at vending machines. If you have a meal plan, we recommend you add Munch Money or Podium funds to your ID Card to pay for these items. 

Deposit funds. Review our Discount Dollars Usage Guide for help managing your Discount Dollars over the course of a semester.

F/S Dining Plan members enjoy an everyday 10% discount at the following locations: 

• 1844 Restaurant
• 518 Market
• Baba’s Pizza
• Calypso
• Concessions
• Corner Deli
• Damör Chai Cafe
• Downtown Café
• East Café
• ETEC Café
• The Halal Shack
• Jamal’s Chicken
• M&C
• Morris’s Café
• Natural!
• Niko’s Cafe
• Spice Market
• Starbucks
• SubConnection
• The Sweet Shop
• Tres Habaneros
• UMAI Fusion
• UMAI Sushi
• Yella's
• Alumni Quad Dining Room
• Indigenous Quad Dining Room
• State Quad Dining Room 

While you're employed at UAlbany, your F/S Dining Plan funds never expire! The initial minimum deposit for the plan is $50. No fees are associated. Deposit funds.

The plan can be used year-round, and the funds never expire while employed at UAlbany. The dining plan can be used at any dining location and vending machine that accepts the UAlbany ID Card. 

The F/S Dining Plan is not a meal plan and does not qualify for tax-exempt status per New York State tax laws. 
Bonus dollars will be added within 24 hours during normal business days.

Let the cashier know when electing to use your F/S Dining Plan to make sure any applicable discounts are applied.

Bonus Money Promo 

If you sign up or replenish funds on your F/S Dining Plan between January 1, 2025 and February 20, 2026, you’ll receive bonus money!

• 5% bonus for depositing $50 to $249
• 10% bonus for depositing $250 or more 

Inactivity & Refunds

The Faculty/Staff Dining Plan is taxable in New York State. Therefore, refunds may only be granted under certain conditions.

Faculty/Staff Dining Plan balances remain on your UAlbany ID Card while you are an active employee. New deposits can be made at any time and will be added to your existing balance. Deposit funds.

Balances cannot be transferred to other people or accounts. Balances never expire until you officially leave the University and submit the Faculty/Staff Plan Refund Request Form.

You can request a refund up to three years after ending employment at the University. A refund check will be mailed to your home address.

All refunds are subject to a $5 processing fee.

After three years of inactivity, your funds will be subject to New York State escheating regulations. If we are unable to reach you at that time, the remaining balance will be turned over to the New York State Comptroller. If that balance is over $20, you can request it through the Unclaimed Funds process.

Meet the Dietitian

Our on-campus Dietitian, Brianna Watson, MS, RDN, CDN, brings her passion for nutrition and wellness to assist students with finding nutritious and delicious food on campus. 

Brianna is available for free consultations on topics such as:

• Nutritional assessments
• Food allergies, celiac disease, diabetes, or other special dietary needs
• Eating healthy on campus
• Special dietary accommodations, such as vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, halal, and kosher
• Medical nutritional counseling
• Weight management
• Campus Presentations
• Sports Nutrition

Feel free to contact Brianna with any questions or to set up an appointment at [email protected].

Simple Servings

Simple Servings is an allergy-friendly station located in both Indigenous Quad and State Quad Dining Rooms.

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. 

All foods served at Simple Servings are prepared exclusively with ingredients that do not contain the following food allergens:

• Milk
• Eggs
• Wheat
• Soy
• Shellfish
• Peanuts
• Tree Nuts
• Sesame

The staff responsible for preparing and serving the food at Simple Servings use designated purple equipment and prep areas. All managers, executive chefs, dietitians and station-specific cooks have received extensive allergy training and are certified under AllerTrain. 

The station offers a protein, vegetable and starch option for each meal, and it is open during lunch, dinner and late-night meal periods.

Note: Foods prepared for Simple Servings do not contain gluten. However, foods are prepared in a facility which uses these ingredients in the production of other dishes. Although we take measures to ensure against this, the possibility of cross contact does exist.

Gluten-free Options

Indigenous Quad and State Quad Dining Rooms both offer gluten-free friendly stations, including gluten-free breads, cereals and more. Both dining rooms also features a gluten-free friendly salad bar. 

Students looking for a gluten-free meal can do so at Simple Servings, located in both Indigenous Quad and State Quad Dining Rooms. Additionally, each dining room accepts gluten-free product requests, including bread, wraps, pasta, buns and rolls. To make a request, please contact [email protected].

The dining staff undergo allergy training twice a year, which includes handling gluten-free diets.

Indigenous Quad also offers MyZone, a gluten-free area reserved for students with food allergies and other dietary needs. My Zone acts as a self-service pantry for students to be involved in their own allergen-safe meal preparation. This area is equipped with a designated microwave, refrigerator, toaster and allergen-free prep surfaces. This room is stocked weekly with items such as bread, rolls, bagels, muffins, waffles, pizza, burritos, frozen meals, rice cakes, dry cereal, pretzels and soup. To get access to this key-card-access-only area, contact [email protected].

Similarly, at the State Quad dining hall, there is a separate gluten-free area with a stocked fridge containing gluten-free options.

Halal Options

For students looking for halal prepared food, there are retail and residential dining options available, including:

• The Halal Shack
• Baba's Pizza
• Jamal's Chicken
• Spice Market
• Simple Servings Station at Indigenous Quad Dining Room

Kosher Options

Kosher meals are available at:

• Indigenous Quad Dining Room: Kosher meals are available for dinner (4 to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday).
• East Café in the Campus Center: Kosher meals are available daily during normal business hours (9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday).

Learn more about Kosher options and Shabbos House.

Vegetarian & Vegan Options

Indigenous Quad and State Quad Dining Rooms both offer a plant-based station that serves vegan and vegetarian options. The station provides separate lunch and dinner menus, offering a variety of choices.

In addition to the plant-based station:

• There is a sub/wrap station where vegan and vegetarian sandwiches can be made upon request or students can create their own veggie wrap with hummus from the salad bar.
• The salad bar is open throughout the day and offers lettuce, various vegetable toppings, eggs, hummus with pita, dry tuna, and a selection of fruits and yogurts.
• There is a vegetarian or vegan soup available daily, and the grill station can provide garden or black bean burgers upon request.

Breakfast options include cold and hot cereal, a smoothie bar, waffles, scrambled and hard boiled eggs, and tofu scramble available upon request. Both dining rooms have soy and almond milk options, with State Quad offering a machine for almond and soy milk accessibility, and Indigenous Quad having a soy milk machine with almond milk available upon request.

Additionally, vegetarian and vegan offerings are also available at our retail locations.

Special Diet Accommodations & Allergen Information

To assure your dietary needs are effectively met while dining on campus, please email the campus dietitian, Brianna Watson, at [email protected] to schedule a meeting to develop a written plan that meets your dietary needs.

Before placing your order, please inform a dining staff member if you or a person in your party has a food allergy. If you have dietary questions, please ask to speak directly with a manager.

Allergen, vegan and vegetarian information is posted at each retail venue. Allergen information is also available online for all retail dining venues and resident dining halls.

Note: Retail dining menu items are prepared in a facility that uses allergen ingredients in the production of other dishes. Although we take measures to ensure against this, the possibility of cross contact does exist.

For further assistance regarding special accommodations, please contact Disability Access & Inclusion Student Services (DAISS).