For Parents
A LETTER TO THE PARENTS
Dear Parents and Guardians,
We’re excited to welcome your student back to Soka University of America for the 2023-24 academic year!
We believe that food has an important role to play in building culture and community on campus. As the dining services provider at Soka it’s our job to ensure each student feels welcome when they dine with us, and that they receive delicious meals that meet their dietary needs. Here’s what your student can expect while they dine with us on campus:
Meals cooked from scratch by our passionate chefs No corporate recipes or cycle menus here, please! “From scratch” means everything, from stocks and sauces to salsa and pizza dough.
Ingredients sourced in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. Bon Appétit began making commitments to sustainable and ethical practices long before it became trendy. We serve only cage-free, certified humane eggs; sustainable seafood; certified humane ground beef, and pork raised in group housing instead of inhumane gestation crates — and that’s just a sample of our many commitments.
A dedicated dining website Menus, hours of operation, and much more are available 24/7 on Soka’s dining website: soka.cafebonappetit.com Our Circle of Responsibility menu icons provide information about ingredients in each dish and our feedback form at the bottom of the page provides a handy place to send comments or questions directly to our team. (Pro tip, scroll down the page and have your student sign up for menu mail to have the menus delivered daily to their inbox.)
Abundant choices for those with special diets Your student will continue to find a plethora of plant-forward, vegetarian, and vegan options as well as ones that are made without gluten-containing ingredients every day.
A supportive and hands-on approach to allergies We’re happy to work with any students with food allergies or other dietary restrictions to make sure everyone can enjoy plenty of delicious food, safely, with us. All of our chefs and managers receive FARE-certified food allergen awareness training and pass that training on to our hourly employees through dedicated bi-annual training and daily reminders — keeping allergies top of mind. Our team will foster individual communication with students with food allergies, in line with best practices outlined in the FARE restaurant guidelines.
Surprises! We don’t want your student to get bored, so we’re always trying out new recipes and ideas. And if they have ideas, encourage them to talk to us! Our doors are always open.
As always, we welcome any questions or feedback from parents and guardians.
Sincerely,
Alvaro Ruiz
Executive Chef
Alvaro.ruiz@cafebnappetit.com
818-262-1982
The Value of a Meal Plan
VALUE OF A MEAL PLAN
Dining at Soka University of America
Soka and Bon Appétit Management Company are excited to welcome new and returning students to campus this 2023-24 academic year! As you gear up for the semester ahead, we would like to share a few of the benefits that come with having a meal plan on campus.
REASONS TO BUY A MEAL PLAN:
Makes Life Easier A meal plan means: No worrying about grocery shopping or meal planning. No dishes. No unexpected financial surprises: for students who have flexible spending dollars, we help them manage their funds appropriately.
It’s Convenient: A wide variety of a la carte and all-you-care-to-eat dining options are available across campus, so you’re never far from a great meal.
From Scratch = Flexible: We LOVE food, so we cook it from scratch: stocks, sauces, soups, salsas, you name it (also things that don’t start with S). This means we can be flexible with our recipes to accommodate all sorts of dietary needs without any fuss. It’s our passion to create delicious food that suits every need and taste. Vegan, flexitarian, or avoiding gluten? We’ll have options for you every day.
It’s Healthier: Our chefs make craveworthy dishes — built on whole grains, local vegetables, fresh fruits, and lean or plant-based proteins — that people look forward to eating every day. They also follow portion control guidelines.
Satisfying Options From global bowls to seasonal pizzas, there’s always something new to try. And we love suggestions — our chefs don’t use cycle menus or corporate recipes, so they can add in new items with only a few days’ notice.
Seriously Sustainable We’re committed to upholding our industry-leading commitments to environmentally and socially responsible sourcing, from Farm to Fork partnerships to sustainable seafood. (The Humane Society of the United States ranked us the #1 food service company — the only one with an A+ grade.)
Knowledge is Power College isn’t just about academics, it’s about learning life skills, too. We are committed to helping students learn to make healthy choices in and outside our café through nutrition & wellness information and education about how food choices impact the environment, and more.
Still Social Mealtimes are still the perfect time to catch up with friends and make new ones. We’re committed to making our dining spaces inviting places to hang out and to offering interactive events to bring students together.
QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS?
We're here for you
We strive to make your student's experience with us as enjoyable as possible. Our café managers are available to address immediate concerns or questions, however, we welcome your comments and suggestions.