Last August, The Princeton Review named WashU #2 in the nation for “2025 Best Campus Food,” up from #5 in 2024. The other five schools listed are the University of Massachusetts, Amherst (No. 1), University of Richmond (No. 3), Bowdoin College (No. 4), and Cornell University (No. 5).

WashU Dining serves thousands of students daily across BD, the Village, and the DUC. Student Life’s Junior Multimedia Editor Sanchali Pothuru joined the team as they prepared for a Wednesday lunch rush on campus.

For 24 consecutive hours, sophomores Ally Mediratta and Saish Satyal stayed in the dining hall, Bear’s Den (BD), without leaving for any reason

As a high school senior touring colleges last spring, I distinctly remember walking into the DUC at Washington University in St. Louis and seeing colorful posters hanging from the ceiling: “No. 3 Best Campus Food, Princeton Review.” As someone who has managed food allergies to dairy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish and shellfish for my entire life, I wondered how accurate this statement would be for me. 

No matter how many booths are blocked off by blue tape, the people who make BD what it is are still there.

You might not always see them, but the staff at Washington University and all college campuses allow students to thrive and do their best every day.

Congress of the South 40 hosted its second annual Bear’s Den Appreciation Week—a week of students celebrating the Bear’s Den staff—from Feb. 20 through Feb. 24, incorporating a community service component and providing students with information about unionization efforts for the first time.

Most Washington University students are probably familiar with the TVs that are constantly showing sports games and news channels in the Danforth University Center and Bear’s Den. There’s ESPN, Fox and Fox News, and the occasional NBC channel shown…but what else?

Restrictions on Greek parties have left some students frustrated when trying to plan events. While over a third of students participate in Greek life, a strict policy limits the number of social events that can be held in one night.

In an effort to increase student involvement in the recipe testing process, Dining Services is premiering an experimental food station in Bear’s Den.