Officials increased staff allergen training and added ingredient experts this semester to answer student questions about dining hall food after fielding years of complaints, which some students say led to improvement this year, while others noted a continued lack of proper labeling and lack of variety.
University spokesperson Claire Sabin said officials this semester required additional allergen training for dining staff, increased allergen-awareness signage in dining halls, anchored an “ingredient expert” at each dining facility on campus and added ingredient information displays on the dining website to boost transparency around food ingredients in response to feedback from students. Students’ continued complaints about GW Dining’s food quality, which have persisted since officials implemented all-you-can-eat dining halls in 2023, have led to internal University investigations and the creation of special committees, including the GW Dining Student Advisory Panel and the Student Government Association’s Special Committee on Dining Reform.
“GW Dining understands how critical it is for students with dietary restrictions to have clear, accurate information about the food served in our dining halls,” Sabin said in an email.
She said the University also collects student feedback at “HappyOrNot” terminals in each dining hall — options range from a dark green smiling face through a dark red frowning face — which dining staff review weekly. Officials launched the kiosks in April 2024.
“This multi-layered approach ensures feedback is reviewed regularly, addressed quickly, and integrated into ongoing menu development to align dining experiences with student preferences,” Sabin said.
Two inspections by the D.C. Department of Health this year also revealed persistent cleanliness issues at Shenkman Hall. A February inspection stated that food safety officials observed evidence of droppings near dry storage areas, and the kitchen lacked a sink with hot water.
A September inspection found the same hot water violation and said cutting boards were not properly cleaned and sanitized, which staff corrected immediately.
“We work closely with D.C. Health and GW Facilities to address any inspection findings immediately,” Sabin said. “All items noted in recent inspections were promptly corrected on-site, and led to the dining halls passing inspection.”
More than two years after GW finished revamping its dining model, students say they are happy with the convenience and changes officials have made to improve the quality of the dining halls and think officials have been responsive to student feedback. However, after changes this semester, some students still have concerns about improper ingredient labeling and a lack of diversity within dining hall menus.
Junior Lilly Shaw — the president of GW Chronic Health Advocates and a member of the GW Dining Student Advisory Panel, which is made up of three students that officials selected to work directly with dining staff to help gather student opinions and ideas for improving dining — said she successfully advocated last year for more variety at the Pure Eats station in all University dining halls. The station offers food without the nine most common food allergens to accommodate students with dietary restrictions.
“It’s been really wonderful to see our feedback for more variety, pure-eat breakfasts, pop-up events that take students with allergies into consideration, desserts, etc. listened to and actualized,” Shaw said in an email.
Since its creation in 2022, the GW Dining Student Advisory Panel has implemented several initiatives, like introducing OZZI reusable containers in 2024 and bringing Beyond Meat, a plant-based meat alternative, to the dining halls last year.
Andy Cheng, a senior studying art history, said he’s noticed some food labels in the Shenkman dining hall are uninformative, leaving him unaware of the ingredients in a given dish. Cheng said he knows students who have had allergic reactions to dining hall food due to inadequate information about the ingredients in dishes.
“With chicken nuggets, they will list breaded chicken,” Cheng said. “I don’t know what’s in the breaded chicken, and I don’t know what brand it is, what they put in it, and it’s just bad.”
Cheng echoed student concerns from 2023, when students reported that limited ingredient labeling posed a risk to students with allergies, eating disorders and religious dietary restrictions. Students observed that food labels in dining halls did not clearly correspond to each dish and did not disclose all ingredients, risking exposure to foods they are intolerant to.
Sabin said officials hired David Cox, a full-time quality assurance manager, in April 2024 to oversee food safety and sanitation across all University dining establishments in response to student reports of foodborne illnesses from dining halls in February 2024.
Miguel de la Fe, a first-year studying political science, said his experience with GW Dining has been “hit or miss,” citing concerns like undercooked chicken and a lack of variety. de la Fe said he often opts for his once-weekly meal swipe at chain locations like Panda Express rather than utilizing Thurston or Shenkman halls because of the unreliable options in the dining halls.
“The chicken is not well done, like it’s raw,” de la Fe said. “Most nights, it’s pink. It’s gross.”
A student grabs food at the Rooted station at Thurston Hall. (Abby Brown | Photographer )
Students reported falling ill after eating what they thought was undercooked meat in both Thurston and Shenkman dining halls in February 2024. Officials said at the time they received reports of stomach-related illnesses and undercooked chicken in Thurston Hall but concluded that the illnesses were not caused by food poisoning from the dining halls after an investigation.
Sabin said officials take all student concerns about food safety “very seriously.”
“Reports of foreign objects or undercooked items are immediately investigated by our team, including our Quality Assurance Manager, and corrective actions are taken as needed,” Sabin said.
The Student Government Association created a Special Committee on Dining Reform in May 2023 to assess and attempt to address student dining concerns after a March inspection by D.C. Health revealed inadequate labeling, mice droppings near open dry food containers and improper cooling practices.
The University corrected all identified issues less than two weeks later, according to the follow-up report.
The SGA combined the legislative branch’s Special Committee on Dining and the executive branch’s dining team in March, but the body has fallen short of meeting requirements this semester, failing to appoint public members as they are still trying to raise awareness about the assembly, even after they hosted a town hall last month.
Sabin said the University had “no comment” as to what progress the Special Committee on Dining Reform has made in addressing student concerns and which initiatives officials had implemented at its recommendation.
Henry Scriven-Young, a senior studying political communication and a member of the GW Dining Student Advisory Panel, said GW Dining has taken action to address student concerns about food quality and has been “highly receptive” to the Student Advisory Panel’s advice. He said the University’s dining services are improving each semester through training and increased attention to quality control, and he is satisfied with how student feedback has driven initiatives intended to improve dining.
“I think GW Dining is facing more successes than challenges at this point,” Scriven-Young said in an email.
Scriven-Young said the panel is working to update GW Dining’s database to ensure that ingredients are fully listed in response to student feedback, creating placards with more accurate ingredient disclosures. He said GW Dining has also taken action to address student concerns about food quality, which he said have “significantly reduced” over the past few semesters.
“Specifically, they have monitored and improved the training and quality control procedures found at the dining halls,” Scriven-Young said. “These improvements have directly led to an increase in food safety and food quality.”
Dining and Cooking