Students that are staying on campus during Thanksgiving break from Saturday, Nov. 23 to Saturday, Nov. 30 have many options for dining during the break.
Students that have residential meal plans can fill out a form which allows them to have three swipes into the open dining hall during break for breakfast, lunch and dinner at no additional cost.
South Dining Hall will be open on Saturday, Nov. 23, and McMahon Dining Hall will be open from Nov. 24 to Nov. 30, except on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 28.
Students can sign up for a free Thanksgiving to-go meal, which consists of “roast turkey, gravy, cranberry stuffing, white & sweet duchess potatoes, honey roasted carrots, corn muffin, pumpkin pie, [and] bottled water,” according to Dining Services.
The meal comes with reheating instructions and can be picked up from McMahon Dining Hall from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Nov. 27. Students must sign up for the meal by Nov. 25. The hours for McMahon Dining Hall can be found on the Dining Services website.
Michael White, the executive director of the Department of Dining Services, said the department has been building the to-go meal for over 30 years.
“As more and more students didn’t have the ability to go home for the break we had to have a plan for Thanksgiving Day,” he said. “If you didn’t have a friend’s house to go to for the break, we knew that it was important to provide a meal.”
Dining services recently built a similar plan to the to-go meal for Christmas and New Year’s Day, according to White.
Cafes and retail locations will also be open during part of Thanksgiving break. The Union Street Market food court will be open Monday, Nov. 25. Market Cafe, the convenience store and Dairy Bar will be open on Nov. 25, Nov. 26 and Nov. 27.
Prior to Spring 2024, students were not able to use their flex passes and points at these locations during break, White said. Students are now able to use their flex passes and points at open cafes and retail locations during the break. More information about cafe and retail location hours during Thanksgiving break can be found here.
Students living in on-campus apartments that may not have a meal plan were able to sign up for a Thanksgiving meal pickup at Charter Oak Community Center on Thursday, Nov. 28 from 12 p.m-2 p.m.
White said that he encourages students to “check with the local restaurants in Downtown Storrs for other options.”
For more information on dining on campus during Thanksgiving break, visit the Dining Services website.