Safety & Quality Assurance

Duke EATS

Duke Dining’s Evaluation and Training Standards (Duke EATS) is our innovative quality control program, which establishes clear standards for how our locations should operate with respect to customer service, employee training, and food safety. Duke EATS also provides a framework for how our locations are evaluated against these standards.

Duke EATS is comprised of 4 different components:

1. Independent third-party food safety and operational assessments conducted by a contract service

2. Durham County Health Department inspections

3. Duke Dining’s Mystery Diner Program

4. Duke Dining’s Training Program

Additionally, Duke Dining requires that all of its locations have HACCP (hazard analysis and critical control point) protocols in place. These HACCP plans guide locations on how to properly and safely receive, store, prepare, and serve food. They include procedures such as regularly checking and recording the temperature of foods and regularly cleaning food-contact surfaces.

chefs standing around a kitchen

Third-Party Food Safety & Operational Assessments

Every Duke Dining location undergoes a third-party assessment at least 3 times per year to ensure it is following proper procedures related to storing food, preparing food, and serving food. These assessments also review the cleanliness and conditions of our operations. After each assessment, the dining location is required to submit a corrective action plan for any identified issues. This process provides Duke Dining with consistent, reliable, and actionable information on the day-to-day performance of our locations.

Dining Location of the Month

Each month, Duke Dining celebrates the work of one of its locations. Every employee at the Dining Location of the Month is given a pin to wear proudly on their uniforms. The location is also featured in our campus-wide newsletter and receives a banner to display at their operation. The winning location is chosen based on Health Department scores, third-party inspection scores, Mystery Diner scores, training performance, customer feedback that has been submitted online or shared with Duke Dining admin, and other performance indicators like sustainability efforts and management practices.

Allergen Safety

Before their first day of work, every Duke Dining team member must complete an allergen safety training course, and locations are constantly assessed to ensure they’re following proper procedures in preparing and serving foods containing common allergens. Duke Dining offers a number of resources to support students and customers with allergen concerns. Allergen information for foods served on campus should be available at all Duke Dining locations. This information is also available online through Duke Dining’s NetNutrition tool. To learn more about the allergen resources available to students, visit our Nutrition & Dietary Information page.

Durham County Health Department Inspections

Annual inspections are conducted by a county health inspector for all of our locations that prepare food on-site. If a Duke Dining location scores below a 97, it is required to immediately submit a corrective action plan to Duke Dining administration.

Duke Dining's Mystery Diner Program

The Mystery Diner program recruits students, staff, and faculty to visit all our locations and assess their experiences. Diners rate each location’s customer service, allergen safety and accommodations, food quality, cleanliness, and overall impression. All Duke Dining locations are visited by a mystery diner once per month.

Duke Dining's Training Program

Duke Dining requires all team members to undergo an extensive food safety training protocol. Before their first day of work, every team member must complete the food safety and allergen safety courses, and every manager must earn their ServSafe certification.