Students returning to Haverford College this fall will find a different Coop: a fast-casual menu built around signature bowls and cheesesteaks, a closing time that moves from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. on weeknights, and a mandatory switch from single-use takeout containers to a reusable system.
The college announced Aug. 10 that it redesigned the campus dining spot over the summer, modeling it on chains like Sweetgreen and CAVA. Every item is priced at a flat $10 meal-plan equivalency, eliminating the old problem of add-ons pushing a meal past the swipe value. "We're so close to Philly, so of course we're going to do cheesesteaks," Director of Dining Services Tom Mitchell said in the announcement.
The Coop's new weekday hours are 9 a.m.–9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 9 a.m.–2 p.m. on Fridays; it remains closed on weekends. The previous schedule ran 8 a.m.–4 p.m. Nineteen new seats are being added immediately, with a longer-term goal of 120.
The redesign grew out of a student survey that drew nearly 400 responses. Students said they wanted their favorite dishes more often and more control over how a meal came together, not more variety. Two years of traffic data also showed thin breakfast crowds and a late-afternoon-and-evening rush the Dining Center could not absorb alone. Assistant Vice President of Auxiliary and Administrative Services Mike Boyle said the Coop has effectively become a second dining center, and the college is now treating it as one.
That shift matters. Dining officials expect the redesigned space to draw a few hundred diners a night away from an increasingly crowded Dining Center.
Reusable containers replace disposables
Alongside the menu overhaul, Haverford is phasing out single-use takeout containers in both the Coop and the Dining Center. The replacement: a reusable system from Dispatch Goods, a San Francisco Bay Area company founded in 2020 that already operates at Tri-College Consortium partners Bryn Mawr and Swarthmore.
Ten collection bins in a distinctive "chili red" color are stationed around campus. Students drop off used containers; Dispatch Goods collects, washes and redistributes them across its network. The company estimates reusing a container avoids roughly two-thirds of the emissions of manufacturing a new one and uses a fraction of the water needed to produce single-use paper alternatives.
Chief of Staff Jesse Lytle, who oversees the college's sustainability initiatives, said Haverford signed on after hearing both Bryn Mawr and Swarthmore reported high adoption rates and workable finances. Clients with strong adoption typically hit an 80 percent container return rate, Lytle said.
The Coop lacks a dish room and has always relied on disposable packaging, making it a natural fit. Sit-down dining in the Dining Center will continue to use traditional dishware. Coffee cups at the Library Café and reusable dishes for catered events are under consideration for a later phase of the program.
