Dining Services

Frequently Asked Questions About Our Dining Services

• How are guests' allergy needs addressed?

  We take addressing our guests' allergy needs very seriously.  If you have a specific allergy or dietary need, we ask that you reach out to our General Manager or Chef to discuss your specific situation.  Contact Dining Services at 814-472-3016.  Our team will work with you directly to customize meals or point your in the right direction for the best meal choices to meet your needs.

   

  Providing for your specific dietary needs is a responsibility that we do not take lightly.  Our managers and chefs are certified in gluten education and food allergies by Kitchens with confidence, a nationally-recognized organization that is accredited by both the American Culinary Federation and the American Dietary Association. 

   

  We also provide access to allergen-safe zones, which are free of the top allergens, allowing guests to serve themselves in an allergy-free environment.

• What brands are used?

  NetNutrition
  Introducing the Parkhurst NetNutrition site!  Attached are directions for use on a desktop and mobile devices. This site will allow a guest to select menu items and view the nutritional label for calories, sodium and fat content. If a guests uses the filter for the ten top allergy items the program automatically filters out those items and only displays menu options that the guest may select. Guests also have the ability to build a meal. They are able to select the items that they would like to eat for a meal and see the total nutrition for that meal as well as each individual item.

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  Bravisimo
  Available at Torvian

  Exhibition-style cooking that deserves an encore! Our chefs impress and delight everyone with cooked-to-order fajitas, stir-fries, bananas Foster, and Pacific Rim favorites just to name a few. All of this food is prepared using only the most authentic ingredients. We feature fine food and cooking entertainment, all wrapped into one superb culinary presentation

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  East Street Deli
  Available at Frankie's

  At the East Street Deli™, everyone will be able to choose from a selection of their favorite, freshly-sliced deli meats and cheeses. We pride ourselves in serving delicious deli sandwiches, wraps and subs on fresh-baked breads and rolls. Every item prepared at the East Street Deli™ will always be stuffed full with fresh, high-quality ingredients of your choice.

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  HemisFlavors
  Available at Torvian

  Hemisflavors showcases the varied flavors and culinary techniques of regional cuisines from around the globe. Sample the freshest and finest cuisines of the world, with our experienced chefs as your guide.

  Our Executive Chefs take great care in using only raw, fresh ingredients and following authentic preparation methods to create dishes that maintain the integrity of regional fare. This focus on fresh, quality ingredients not only ensures authenticity, but also makes Hemisflavors dishes more healthful, wholesome, and of course, delicious. We invite you to expand your horizons, and savor the Hemisflavors from another part of the world. From Brazil to Morocco, India to Vietnam… let your taste buds travel the globe!

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  Pepperazzi
  Our exclusive Pepperazzi® concept is the ultimate in fresh-dough pizza and pasta, prepared each day with the finest ingredients. We create pizzas, calzones, strombolis, and pasta dishes using classic Italian recipes. Don't forget to sample our hot-roasted, farm-sourced vegetables. All of these items are made fresh every day for our guests.

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  Sequoia Grill
  Our chefs at Sequoia Grill® will prepare high-quality foods-to-order hot off the grill and just the way you like. Our burgers are never frozen! We pride ourselves in using only the freshest quality meats and poultry. We use our restaurant experience at the grill to create unique menu items that are sure to please everyone's tastes. 

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  Barista Café
  The Barista Café is the perfect place to get great coffee, espresso, cappuccinos, lattes, and iced coffees all made from freshly ground coffee beans - brewed to our perfection! The aroma of fresh-brewed coffee and assorted bakery items like muffins, doughnuts, and desserts made fresh daily on site, will make it difficult to pass by.

• What are the Standards for Food Quality at SFU?

  Food Gold Standards

  • Fresh vegetables daily 
  • Foods prepared from scratch using real ingredients 
  • No microwave cooking 
  • USDA Choice or above
  • Real mashed potatoes 
  • Soups made from scratch 
  • Minimum of five fresh fruits daily
  • Real cheese 
  • Eggs cooked to order daily 
  • No processed vegetables on salad bar
  • Real bacon bits 
  • Pizza dough made from scratch 
  • Hand-breaded fish
  • Real whole roasted turkey “not processed” 
  • Fresh hamburgers  

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  Farm Source
  Farm Source is our Farm-to-Fork practice. Our Farm Source program is an initiative to find and partner with some of the finest local growers and producers. With assistance from organizations like Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) we are able to enhance the freshness and quality of our product offerings without compromising our commitment to food safety ...while supporting and strengthening the local agricultural community. We utilize only suppliers and growers who follow the high standards set forth by regulatory agencies like the FDA, the State Department of Agriculture, and local health departments.

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  EcoSteps
  We care about each other and our world. The footprint we leave for today will change how we live tomorrow. Our EcoSteps is designed to reduce and reuse that footprint. Our EcoSteps are “Our Steps to Sustainability”. To continually expand our role as a socially responsible university while providing exceptional hospitality to all of our guests. Our focus on sustainability EcoSteps have been developed in order to establish local responsibility standards, including a continual focus on environmental issues. The EcoStep’s logo highlights items that are part of our sustainability program (recycled paper, rBGH-free milk, Sustainable Seafood, etc.). The mission of EcoSteps is to continually expand our role to-be-as socially responsible as possible while providing exceptional hospitality experiences to all of our guests.

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  On The Go
  Increasingly our guests are looking for meals that are ready-to-eat or pre-cooked and just need to be reheated. They are also interested in options that promote wellness and good health. Our “on the go!” program addresses guests’ needs by providing a large variety of items from which to choose. “On the go!” allows guests the kind of flexibility and convenience they have not seen before, while at the same time maintaining the kind of quality our guests would expect to receive when dining in. The pressures of today’s busy University students won’t go unnoticed here. Our items include pre-packaged salads; Panini’s, wraps, soups and sushi. In addition, we will have fresh fruits and vegetables pre-packaged and ready to go. Many of our items are purchased locally with brands that our guests know and love.

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  Whole Body
  Whole Body Cuisine is a lifestyle-oriented program designed to keep your taste buds excited, while providing a wide variety of nutritionally balanced meals. Whole Body dishes balance fat, calories, cholesterol, and sodium, creating naturally nourishing and fabulous tasting dishes. Whole Body items on menus will be signified by use of the “artichoke” symbol.

  Whole Body Cuisine takes into consideration the foods we eat and enables us to eat wisely every day. As good food is essential to achieving or maintaining weight loss goals, Whole Body considers today’s on-the-go lifestyles and allows you to…

  • Maintain a healthy body weight through a combination of healthful diet and exercise.
  • Keep total fat intake at or below approximately 30% of daily calories, and saturated fat at or below 7% of daily calories.
  • Reduce total calories.
  • Think of a balanced diet as something to be achieved over the course of a day or week, rather than each dish, recipe, or meal. Enjoy yourself and have your favorite meal from time to time while balancing the week.
  • Avoid highly processed or refined foods.
  • Reduce portion sizes for meats, poultry, eggs and whole milk cheeses, and cut back on the frequency of their occurrence in a daily or weekly diet.
  • Eat a greater variety of fruits, vegetables and starchy foods to assure adequate levels of vitamins, minerals and fiber.
  • Reduce the amount of cholesterol in your diet.  
• What Dining Plans are Available?

  Saint Francis University Dining services will help students navigate which food fits their individual dining plan.

• Is Student Employment Available?

  Yes! Students who are interested in working at one of the Saint Francis University dining facilities should browse through our Work Study & Campus Employment Opportunities.

• Can I send a Student a Food Package?

  Send your student a food package offered by our dining staff:  Saint Francis From Home With Love.  A variety of options are available.   Download the From Home With Love brochure or email jowens@francis.edu for more details.

• Can I follow Campus Dining Services on Social Media?

  Saint Francis Dining Service would like to provide easy access to information on all of our Dining Venues; (Torvian Dining Hall, Frankie’s, and The Cart at Padua and Adamucci’s Café).

   

  Our goal is to promote awareness across the University community (faculty, staff, and students) via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  Through these sites, we can advertise our upcoming menus, theme meals, specials and events.

   

  Our initiative is not solely based on our food production.  We are also including our Campus gardening projects, both with our greenhouse and our garden (located outside Torvian Dining Hall).  

   

  In partnership with Parkhurst Dining Service, we encourage “Farm Fresh” standards and recognize the opportunities presented by these initiatives. This endeavor stimulates the idea of sustainability as well as being organic.  We are attempting to reduce our carbon footprint through composting and the reduction of air pollution that comes along with shipping our fruits and vegetables from other areas of the country.