Dining & Catering Services

American University has one dining hall on Main Campus (The Terrace Dining Room in the Mary Graydon Student Center) and one dining hall on the Tenley Campus (Tenley Café in Constitution Hall). “TDR” and Tenley Café are an all-you-care-to-eat facility where you pay one flat rate for each meal instead of à la carte rates.

Both dining halls offer a variety of food selections:

	--	Vegan and vegetarian bar
	--	Comfort food
	--	Salad and cold pasta bar
	--	Grilled foods
	--	Pizza and Italian pasta
	--	Cereals and breakfast foods
	--	Stir-fry selections
	--	Dessert station

 

Coca-Cola is the beverage provider for the American University campus dining and vending operations.

Special Dietary Needs:  The Chef staff of Bon Appetit is proud of its proven ability to accommodate special dietary needs. When reporting your final meal numbers two weeks prior to your conference start date, we request that you also inform us of any special dietary needs at that time.

 

Meals in the Terrace Dining Room and the Tenley Café are included in the housing and meal contract that is signed for every conference group.  Final meal numbers are due two weeks prior to the beginning of your summer program and cannot be reduced after that date.  All of the dining hall meals will be programmed onto your Summer Guest Cards, which each participant will be given, to give you maximum control over expenses charged to your conference group.

Changing Your Meal Numbers:  You can increase your meal numbers if you need to at any point, buy not reduce them since the University will have already paid to order food and schedule staffing based on your final numbers.  Once a dining contract is signed, you cannot reduce the number or the dates of your meals.

 

The Terrace Dining Room (TDR) contains two private dining areas that can be reserved with you meeting and classroom space requests.  The private dining areas will seat approximately 20 people ach and are great for small group meetings during breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

 

Summer 2008 hours of operation will be posted during the Spring 2008 Semester.

Catering services are also available from Bon Appetit, but are not required to be used by any conference group using AU space. Outside vendors and caterers are permitted on AU grounds, but we think you will find Bon Appetit’s catering department to be better than any other option available.

	--	Catering options are limitless and include buffet style meals, seated meals and banquets, an in house pastry chef, receptions with beer, wine or non-alcoholic beverages, as well as soda, coffee or water refreshment breaks.
	--	Hard copy and electronic menus are available for your review upon request. Menus are a starting point to provide you with ideas and suggested items, but the Catering staff can customize your selection.
	--	Catered events (BBQs, etc) can be done away from the main dining areas. Other locations on campus that are great for catered events include the University Club, McDowell and Hughes Formal Lounges, the Friedheim Quad, the Woods Brown Amphitheatre, Bender Arena, or the Ward Classroom Building.
	--	Conference groups are required to enter a separate contract with Bon Appetit for catering services in advance of the event. At least one month notice is important to ensure that menus can be selected and contracts signed for a successful event. We will certainly be a part of your planning process for catered events as well.

Planning a trip to the National Mall or other sights and sounds of Washington, DC? Let us prepare boxed breakfasts or lunches for you at the same cost as eating in one of the dining halls! All boxed lunches can be picked up at the loading dock to the Terrace Dining Room near the Mary Graydon Center Tunnel entrance on South Campus. Boxed meals should be ordered with your Campus Conference Manager at the same time you submit your final meal requests (two weeks prior to the start date of your event).

Guests may also purchase food at other on campus facilities:

	--	Mega Bytes Café, the Eagle’s Nest convenience store, Subway, and McDonald’s restaurant can be located in the tunnel, under the Mary Graydon Center
	--	Pura Vida coffee shop is located in the ground level of the Mary Graydon Center
	--	Wagshal’s American Deli is located in the ground level of Ward Circle Building

 

All retail stores will open during scheduled hours during the summer for your enjoyment and gladly accept EagleBuck$.

If your summer conference is at AU for an extended period of time, we do offer summer meal plans in blocks of 25 or 50 meals plus varying values in EagleBuck$ at a reduced cost. Meal plan blocks should only be used for conference groups who will be staying on campus for more than 2-3 weeks in order to find block packages to be a savings.

Click here for Summer 2009 meal plan rates