Brown Dining Mission
Brown Dining Services (BDS) operates under the division of Finance and Administration at Brown University. We’re the people behind the dining halls, retail units and University catering functions. We are a member of the National Association of College & University Food Services (NACUFS).
Mission: To provide high quality foods and services to all segments of the University while fostering a sense of community conducive to intellectual and personal growth.
Vision
- BDS will strive to be at the forefront of our industry, setting the standards of excellence within college and university dining.
- Aligning our goal’s with those of the University at large will provide a healthy, diverse and engaging environment that supports academic, social and cultural needs on campus.
- We will anticipate the needs of our customers and strive to exceed their expectations.
Core Values
- Excellence: We strive to exceed the service expectations of our customers. We will not compromise on the quality of the ingredients used in preparation. We perform at the highest level of competence with integrity and pride in our accomplishments.
- People: We are committed to a highly skilled, diverse and compassionate workforce. We foster a culture of respect, equal opportunity, innovation and accountability. We strive to provide a safe workplace for all employees.
- Community stewardship: We will incorporate a sustainable product mix whenever possible. Brown Dining is committed to supporting the local community and charitable endeavors.
Join Our Team
Professional Employment
Brown Dining offers an exciting, challenging, and collaborative environment for crafting a career in hospitality and creating great food. We’re an energetic workplace that thrives on nourishing Brown’s academic mission. Success means the fast pace of the kitchen and the on-the-run college lifestyle both give way to relaxing and refreshing meals for Brown’s students, faculty, staff and visitors. Our managers are well acquainted with trends in the hospitality industry and how to connect with the young and hip university culture.
Brown Dining is full of opportunities to extend your hospitality experience and your culinary know-how. We look forward to your application to join our team.
Student Employment
Brown Dining is the largest employer of students on campus and we’re always hiring! We can find a position that will fit your needs: We offer shifts beginning as early as 6am and ending as late as 2am. Choose a weekly time commitment between 8 and 20 hours a week. Work with or away from food, with money or not, with customers or operate behind the scenes. You can choose to work wherever your personality best fits in. All student workers are directly supervised by other students, and our student managed structure offers many opportunities for advancement within the organization.
Interested? Email buds_smo@brown.edu or visit the SMO office downstairs in the Sharpe Refectory to sign up.
Meet our Executive Chef
What first strikes you when you meet John O’Shea is his down-to-earth, relaxed nature. He does, after all, head a kitchen charged with quenching the appetite of Brown’s hungry students, faculty, staff and visitors each day. In fact, it is his noticeable humbleness and dedication to the cooking team he works with that guide his leadership philosophy as the Executive Chef at Brown Dining. He takes pride in the people around him and nurturing their culinary development. Their remarkable teamwork, much of it behind the scenes, is what makes the fresh flavors of Brown Dining possible.
Hours & Locations
For Student Groups
Room Reservation
Reserving a Room at the Sharpe Refectory
Looking for a space for your meeting or event? The Chancellor’s Dining Room, Chancellor’s Annex and President’s Dining Room are available for student groups use. All require reservations are requested through the Catering Office and incur a fee to the party involved. Please call Brown Catering at 401-863-2712 for specific details on capacity and room set-up for each room.
Reserving a Table at the Entrance of the Sharpe Refectory
Get your message out by reserving a table directly inside the Sharpe Refectory’s Main Dining Room. Table reservations are available for the use of University and Student Groups. Please fill out the reservation contract and call x3-3343 or visit the Brown Dining main office on the Thayer Street side of the Sharpe Refectory to find out the availability of reservation times.
Meal Credit Donations & Donation Boxes
Brown Dining receives donation and fundraising requests for a number of good causes. While we are unable to support general requests for meal credit donations, we partner annually with a select student group or organization, (typically one involved with hunger or homelessness) to coordinate one scheduled credit donation dinner event. Watch for that! Brown Dining supports numerous requests for non-cash donation collections in our dining facilities. For more information, call 401-863-3343. We regret that we are unable to support requests for cash donation collection boxes in our units.
Get Your Message Out
Are you looking to get your student groups message out? Brown Dining invites you to create and distribute tableslips in our dining halls. Tableslips are hard to miss when you eat lunch or dinner in the Ratty and V-Dub. Some advertise events at Brown and in Providence and others touch upon issues affecting life on campus.
Tableslipping Policies
- Size: 1/4 of the size of letter paper (8.5″ x 11″). Must be printed with black ink on white paper.
- Quantity: 160 for Sharpe Refectory; 90 for Verney-Woolley
- Students distributing tableslips must arrive during the appropriate times. Please present your Brown ID and tableslips to the cashier and let the cashier know if you plan to eat, so that your card can be swiped. Also make sure to sign in and out on the log sheet.
- Groups should make it clear to volunteers who tableslip that they must still pay for their meal if they choose to eat. (See our policy on theft.) Students choosing not to pay must exit the dining hall following their tableslipping rounds.
Distribution and Times: To help Brown Dining staff that clean the dining halls between meals, tableslipping is only allowed in the Ratty and the V-Dub during the half hour before a mealtime begins: Breakfast: 7:00am – 7:30am; Lunch: 10:30am – 10:55am; Dinner (Ratty): 3:30pm – 3:55pm; Dinner (V-Dub): 4:00pm – 4:25pm. There is no tableslipping allowed at themed events or special meals.
Content: All tableslips must have a Brown University recognized student group name or a sponsoring University department or center on the tableslip. Tableslips cannot contain advertisements or coupons for commercial establishments. Information contained on tableslips should abide by the Principles of the Brown University Community as set forth on the Student Rights and Responsibilities section of the Office of Student Life website.
Tell Us What You Think
Do you have a specific question, suggestion, or feedback about your meal at a Bon Appétit café? Feel free to browse the previously asked questions below or contact our Bon Appétit managers using this form.
Common Questions
- I’ve been trying to eat a healthier diet. Will I be able to find a healthy food choice in my café?
- Can you tell me how many calories are in the foods in my café?
- How will you handle my concerns about a food allergy?
Resources for BuDS Workers
Current Workers
The Student Management Office (SMO) is located downstairs in the Ratty across from the Ivy Room. Our hours for the current semester are posted on our office door.
Current and new employees:
- The BuDS Student Worker Handbook is your guide to working on campus. It includes general information as well as our policies and expectations. View the 2016-7 handbook
- Also see the ShiftPlanning app to start managing your shifts online. When you’re logged into your Brown Gmail account, go to the “more” link at the top and choose “ShiftPlanning.” Log into your Brown Google account to view the latest open shifts and sub requests, see unit news and review your current shifts.
- To sign up or change your shift times and places, drop by the SMO during Office Hours. If you are new to BuDS or have taken time off, please read this important information first. We are not able to accept any requests to drop or add shifts by email or over the phone.
Student Worker Resources
Prospective Workers:
BuDS hires students throughout the semester. Drop by the Student Management Office during our office hours. There is no formal application process, and anyone can sign up as long as you can fulfill the 8 hrs/wk minimum requirement from the shifts we have available. Before signing up for shifts, you will also have to complete any forms that are required for the Human Resources Department. Please read the instructions below carefully to see which types of ID you will need to complete these forms.
Which IDs to Bring to the SMO?
- If you have worked on campus before and have not taken any time off or gone abroad since you last worked, you will need your Brown ID and Social Security Number (but not the card) to sign up for work.
- If you have worked on campus before, but have taken time off or gone abroad since you last worked, your paperwork will have expired with the Human Resources Department and you will have to follow the instructions for a person who has not worked on campus before, which are given below.
- If you have never worked on campus before and are a US citizen, you will need to bring in your Brown ID card as well as one of the following documents: social security card, birth certificate (original or certified copy with raised seal), or passport (current or expired). We cannot accept photocopies or faxes of these documents.
- If you have never worked on campus before and are not a US citizen, you will need to bring in your Brown ID card, your unexpired I-20 (3 pages), your unexpired foreign passport (with a visa), and your I-94 card (stapled inside your passport, opposite your visa). You will also need a social security card, or a ssn number. If have applied for a number but havent yet received it, you must bring in a letter verifying your application.
Standards of Student Conduct
Students who dine in Brown Dining facilities are held to the same behavioral standards that exist through all aspects of University life. Brown Dining policies are consistent with the University’s Standards of Student Conduct. The following constitute violations of Brown Dining Policy, as do all violations of the Standards of Student Conduct which either occur in a Brown Dining facility or interfere with Brown Dining’s ability to operate its businesses:
- Removal of any food (concealed or not) from an all-you-care-to-eat dining hall. Though unlimited portions are available, meal rates are based on the amount of food consumed within the confines of the dining halls. Brown Dining reserves the right to prohibit the use of backpacks or other large bags in facilities, as well as to inspect bags.
- For the health and safety of our customers, shoes are required for admittance to all Dining Services facilities.
- Consumption of any food or drink in an all-you-care-to-eat dining hall without paying.
- Consumption of any food or drink in the service area of a retail eatery, the concealment of food, or the removal of food from any retail premises without paying.
- Theft of any utensils, dishware, glasses or any other supplies or equipment from a dining hall or catered event.
- Entering, or attempting to enter, a dining hall through an unauthorized entrance.
- Fraudulent use of a Brown University ID card, which includes attempting to use someone else’s card to either gain access to a dining hall or to pay for your purchase.
- Harassment of Brown Dining employee, customer, vendor or visitor.
- Possession of alcoholic beverages, illegal substances or drug paraphernalia in any eatery.
- Damage to or destruction of Brown Dining equipment or facilities.
Violations
Violations of the above may lead to disciplinary action on the part of Brown Dining, or may be referred to the Office of Student Life for review and possible action. Penalties for offenses of Brown Dining policies are consistent with those outlined in the Student Handbook.