Dining Hall, Meal Plans & Food

The menus for the Chestnut Dining Hall (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner) can be viewed on the University of Toronto Food Services website.

No. Your residence dining dollars can be used as follows:

• Purchase food + beverage items at the New College Dining Hall and/or Chestnut Dining Hall (tax exempt*).
• Purchase food + beverage items at selected retail outlets across campus that are operated by Food Services (tax exempt*)

*Only items prepared by Food Services will be tax exempt. For example, a pre-packaged product such as a bag of chips would not be tax exempt, but a sandwich and beverage prepared on campus using raw ingredients would be tax exempt.

Residents with Plan B or C who determine that a smaller plan would better suit their needs will 
have up to October 31, 2023, to change their original selection. Residents with Plan A who determine a larger plan would better suit their needs will have up to October 31, 2023, to change their original selection. No changes are permitted after October 31, 2023.

Residents who determine they may need additional residence dollars during the academic year can add funds to their account – referred to as a “top-up”. Balances can be topped up during the academic year by contacting the Chestnut Residence Life Office (chestnut.residence@utoronto.ca); funds will take up to 24 hours to appear in your account. If you require a more immediate top up on your account, please contact the Food Services Meal Plan Office (mealplan@utoronto.ca) to make arrangement to load funds immediate by using either a debit or credit card.

The only difference between the plans are the amount of residence dining dollars included.

All plans allow you to purchase food and beverage items from the Chestnut Dining Hall, New College Dining Hall and select U of T Food Services retail outlets across campus.

You can purchase food and beverage items at the New College Dining Hall and Chestnut Dining Hall. Here, items prepared by Food Services are tax exempt (for example, a pre-packaged product such as a bag of chips would not be tax exempt, but a sandwich and beverage prepared on campus using raw ingredients would be tax exempt.)

You can also use your meal plan to purchase food and beverage items at selected retail outlets across campus that are operated by Food Services.

Meal plans are mandatory.  

Chestnut Residence does not have cooking facilities for residents so all food is served out of the residence dining hall, referred to as the Chestnut Tree. Don’t worry, the food is delicious!

The menus for the Chestnut Dining Hall (Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner) can be viewed on the University of Toronto Food Services website.

Meal plan and dining hall information is outlined in our Dining Hall, Meal Plans & Food section.

You are also encouraged to visit the University of Toronto Food Services website.

Over the years we have accommodated many students with specific dietary needs who live in residence and dine with us multiple times a day.

If you wish to meet to discuss allergens/intolerances and/or dietary restrictions due to medical conditions, we ask that you fill out and submit the Allergen/Dietary Form on the Food Services website.

Students are also encouraged to contact our Registered Dietitian and Food Safety Officer (dietitian@utoronto.ca) with any requests for dietary accommodations or allergies. They can help navigate the dining hall, and also help to establish accommodations for complex allergies or dietary restrictions.

Students who indicate that they require dietary accommodations when applying to these residences will have their circumstances reviewed by the Residence Life Offices and be contacted by our Registered Dietitian and Food Safety Officer if necessary. When the student arrives to Chestnut they will also be introduced to the culinary teams who will support their needs throughout the school year. Students with anaphylactic allergies are always asked to have their auto-injector on them in case of emergency.

Your account balance is printed on the receipt you receive when making a purchase in the Dining Hall.

Your balance is also available online 24/7 on the Food Services Manage My Account section.
You are also able to view your meal plan balance and transaction history on the U of T Transact Mobile Ordering app.

Alternatively, you may also contact the Food Services Office at any time and they can provide you your account balance.

Yes.

Balances may be topped up during the the academic year by emailing the Residence Life Office at: chestnut.residence@utoronto.ca; funds will take up to 24 hours to appear in your account.

If you require a more immediate balance top up on your account, please visit the Food Services Office. Funds can be added with immediate effect by using either a debit or credit card.

For full details on refunds, please see the Food Services Meal Plan Terms and Conditions posted to our Dining Hall, Meal Plans & Food section.

For assistance, you are invited to email us at: resdiningmgr@utoronto.ca