After barely staying awake in classes, trekking across campus to the dorms and spending a number of hours in Earl Gregg Swem Library that no one is proud to admit, one singular question can easily plague hundreds of students; what should I have for dinner? While the answer may seem obvious — cough cough dining halls cough cough — do dining halls really satisfy student hunger? Do they offer enough nutritious options for students? Do students really want dining hall food to end off their already crappy day? What prevents students from trying out homemade food?
Students at the College of William and Mary have a variety of dinner options, spanning from regular old Sadler to frozen Trader Joe’s meals, to local Williamsburg restaurants, to making food from scratch.
Let’s start with the first and probably most common option: the dreaded dining halls. The College has two dining halls, Sadler and Commons Dining Hall (known affectionately by students as Caf).
“I usually end up going to Caf because I have a lot of extracurriculars and I just have to grab it on the way there,” Riya Gupta ’29 said.
While the dining hall is often the easiest option for students, the dining hall is not always reliable and can come with sacrifices, especially for students with dietary restrictions. One issue students have with dining halls currently is the inefficient labeling system for students with food restrictions.
“I have celiac, so I can’t eat gluten. All the TVs in the dining halls right now only have the label for vegetarian or vegan,” Meredith Parrington ’29 said. “I have to go online, but if the online menu’s down, then I can’t figure out what’s gluten-free or not.”
Continued inconveniences within the College’s dining halls have students anxiously waiting to see if there will be improvements in the new dining hall. The College is planning to open this new dining hall in the West Woods complex in January 2026. While actively watching the glass-lined dining hall being built, hope for the new dining hall is slim. Students are worried that within the shiny new complex there will still be the stagnant food options and quality.
“I think it’s going to be the same quality food. I don’t think it’s gonna change any of that. But yeah, I’m excited,” Austin Zhou ’29 said.
If students are not picking up plates at Sadler of Caf, there are also local spots in Williamsburg that spark their interest. A common spot for students to grab a quick dinner is the classic Chick-Fil-A. Since Chick-Fil-A is included in the Dining Dollars program, it is easy to justify going to dinner outside the dining hall.
Another student favorite is the family restaurant Oishii Japanese Ramen & Hibachi Grill. Nestled behind Sorority Court, Oishii is a Japanese-style restaurant that offers many Japanese comfort foods for an affordable price. If students were to visit Oishii, here are a few student favorite recommendations: Spicy tonkatsu ramen, beef teriyaki with fried rice and pork tonkatsu with white rice. However, since Oishii is not included in the Dining Dollars plan, many students may stray away from spending their real money on dinner.
Outside of the dining hall and local restaurants for dinner, students always have the option to make their own dinner. The majority of dorms offer some sort of kitchen area. The question is, why aren’t more students making their own dinner? Is it because it takes too long? Maybe ingredients cost too much?
The presence of a kitchen doesn’t always correlate to the frequency of cooking. Most commonly, students in older dorms, such as the Botetourt Complex, are more hesitant to cook in their kitchens because of lack of cleanliness and functionality.
“The first time that I went to the Gooch kitchen, there were not one, but two cockroaches,” Gupta said.
Aly Eller ’28 added that kitchen location in the dorm can provide an added inconvenience.
“I love to cook. In DuPont, it’s a little hard because our kitchen is in the basement,” Eller said.
However, even students who are in the oldest dorms on campus can manage making their own meal. Eller previously lived in the Green and Gold Village and still managed to cook for herself.
Students who use their dorm kitchen usually do not cook from scratch, but rather make elevated college classics, such as ramen. One common college elevated dinner students are making is Trader Joe’s frozen food. Trader Joe’s frozen food offers both a healthier alternative to dining hall food and a fast way to make a fulfilling and tasty dinner.
“Trader Joe’s is the best place because they have frozen stuff that’s just so easy to make,” Eller said.
Some Trader Joe’s favorites include the Steamed Soup Dumplings, Cheese Filled Fiocchetti with Pink Sauce, Vegetable Fried Rice, Bean and Cheese Taquitos and Brazil Bites.
While some students stray away from the kitchen, making a nutritious and fast dinner does not have to be a strenuous or hard task. On the contrary, homemade dinners are cheaper and easier to make than people assume.
If you feel like experimenting with your dorm dinners, below are two nutritious meals you can try making. Making food in your dorm doesn’t have to be expensive. Also listed are prices for each ingredient from Food Lion and the overall cost of the meals.
Fresh Tomato Pasta: (Total: $14.93)
Ingredients:
- Pasta of your choice ($0.99)
- Olive oil ($5.49)
- Two tablespoons of butter ($2.49)
- One white onion ($1.19)
- Two cloves of garlic ($0.79)
- One box of cherry tomatoes ($2.99)
- Herbs or spices; some options for this recipe include oregano, basil or parsley ($0.99)
Instructions:
- Begin by boiling a pot of water for the pasta. While waiting for the water to boil, you can sit down and work on that stressful paper that’s been eating away at you.
- Once pasta water is boiling, add in the pasta and cook for eight to 10 minutes.
- In a large saucepan, heat butter and drizzle olive oil over medium heat. Drizzle for about three to four seconds, don’t let the pan get completely covered in oil.
- While the butter is melting, dice one small onion and chop up garlic cloves.
- Add the onion and garlic into the pan with the butter and olive oil, and let cook until translucent.
- Once the onions are translucent, cut the tomatoes in half and add to the pan.
- When the onions and tomatoes are cooked down, add in your herbs.
- Drain pasta water and add pasta into the pan with the sauce.
- Mix, serve and enjoy.
As the temperature starts to drop and the weather gets more dreary, another option for a cozy, hearty meal is this simple soup. This recipe is a bit pricier than the pasta but can be eaten as leftovers or shared with others in your hall.
Hearty Chicken Soup: (Total: $23.62)
Ingredients:
- Two carrots ($1.19)
- Three stalks of celery ($2.99)
- One white onion ($1.19)
- Two cloves of garlic ($0.79)
- One box of chicken broth ($1.49)
- Two tablespoons of butter ($2.49)
- Four tablespoons olive oil ($5.49)
- One rotisserie chicken, if you want added protein ($7.99)
Instructions:
- In a pot, heat butter and olive oil over medium heat.
- Chop the garlic and dice the onion.
- Once the butter has melted, add in the garlic and onion.
- Cook until the onion is translucent. Then chop the celery and carrots.
- Add the celery and carrots in with the onions and cook for a few minutes. Hint: Once you can smell the celery and carrots, you are ready for the next step.
- Cut up the rotisserie chicken, and add it into the pot.
- Then, pour in the chicken broth and cover your pot for 15 to 20 minutes (depending on the heat of your stove and size of your pot). If your pot is bigger, it will take longer to cook.
- Finally, serve and enjoy.
As students head into finals season, fueling up with nutritious and easy meals is a must. Food is fuel and truly makes a difference in performance and mood. Eating healthy and diversely is not something that has to be strenuous or expensive, but rather can be fun and leave you feeling ready to tackle your exams. If you have even 30 minutes to take a break from studying, head into your dorm kitchen and make a quick, nutrient filled meal. Dinner should be delicious, not dreadful.
