Zoe Berg

Amid a slew of dining policy updates, Yale Hospitality remains firm in its decision to remove to-go boxes from residential college dining halls.

Yale Hospitality decided to remove takeout boxes and disposable cups from all residential college dining halls this past fall. Since then, Yale Hospitality’s decision received generally negative feedback from students, many of whom argued that the option had offered flexibility and accessibility.

But despite this feedback and several advocacy pushes by the Yale College Council to reverse the decision, Hospitality remains firm in their policy choice.

“We have been disappointed by the administration’s lack of response to‬‭ student input,” YCC President Mimi Papathanasopoulos ’26 and Vice President Esha Garg ’26 wrote in a joint statement to the News. “As soon as we learned about the removal of to-go boxes over the summer, we — along with our‬‭ Dining Policy Team — immediately reached out to Yale Hospitality and the Yale College Dean’s‬‭ Office to advocate for students.”

In an email to the News, a Hospitality spokesperson wrote that they will continue to update community members on changes to dining policy and “remain open to feedback.” The spokesperson added that the Elm and Commons still offer takeout boxes.

Students feel strongly that the removal of to-go boxes has affected their dining experience. 

The YCC Fall Survey asked students to mark, on a scale of one to five, how the removal of to-go boxes from residential college dining halls had affected them, with one labeled “not at all” and five labeled “extremely.” 75 percent of the 2,418 student respondents marked either a four or five. For the same question about the removal of disposable cups, 74 percent responded with a four or five.

Out of ten students randomly surveyed by the News yesterday, eight said that they were still concerned about the removal of to-go boxes and to-go cups.

“For students whose schedules don’t perfectly align with the dining hours, [to-go boxes] gives them the flexibility to eat when they can and where they can,” said Rachel Kim ’26.

Three students interviewed by the News explained that they are more concerned about the removal of disposable cups from dining halls. 

“It just seems like a pretty simple thing to have. I feel like it’s easy to have a meal [in the dining hall] and then to take a coffee to-go to my classes,” said Sean Davis ’25. “It’s not like I would always need a to-go box, but the cups were really helpful.”

In their Feb. 24 dining policy update, Yale Hospitality announced that disposable cups would be returning to seven residential colleges: Berkeley, Davenport, Grace Hopper, Jonathan Edwards, Pierson, Timothy Dwight and Trumbull. They also announced “new specialty coffee machines” in these dining halls.

In the same email, Yale Hospitality also announced that five of these same colleges — Davenport, Jonathan Edwards, Pierson, Timothy Dwight and Trumbull — would no longer offer hot lunches.

Papathanasopoulos and Garg wrote that they have “advocated immensely” for the return of disposable cups in all dining halls since the start of the year. They explained that some reasons Yale Hospitality gives for removing takeout boxes do not apply to disposable cups.

“Hospitality cited food waste and pests as their reasons for removing takeout boxes, but‬ we believe that those reasons do not apply to the cups as well,” Papathanasopoulos and Garg wrote.

YCC Sustainability Director Carrie Lange ’27 explained that she spearheaded a proposal for reusable takeout boxes modeled after the system used at Dartmouth College. This system “would solve the issue of takeout boxes being left out, attracting pests and creating waste,” Lange said.

However, Yale Hospitality decided against the alternative, according to Lange. They cited a lack of infrastructure and that “part of the reason they removed takeout boxes was to encourage students to go to dining halls and eat in person with other students,” per Lange. 

Yale Hospitality’s spokesperson declined to answer the News’ questions about their reasoning for opposing the sustainable takeout box idea.

Yale Hospitality’s spokesperson, as well as Papathanasopoulos and Garg, mentioned that Smart Meals — which students can order ahead of time —  are options for students who wish to eat outside of dining hall locations. According to Yale Hospitality’s website, Smart Meals can be ordered through the “Transact Mobile Ordering” app. Students can choose from several pre-selected meal options.

Papathanasopoulos and Garg wrote that they have worked with Yale Hospitality to improve Smart Meals since the beginning of the year after noticing a “lack of nutritional options” and “inconsistency across dining halls.” The YCC successfully advocated for more options for Smart Meals, consistent portion sizes across dining halls and shorter wait times for meals.

“Through YCC advocacy, smart meals are more nutritious and more‬‭ easily accessible,” wrote Papathanasopoulos and Garg. “There is still a lack of communication around this option, which we have‬‭ encouraged Hospitality to improve.‬”

Yale has 14 residential college dining halls.