Hours of Operation and Meal Prices
Commons Meal Prices
General Access Meal Prices
- Breakfast: $12.00
- Children’s Rates:
- Under 5yrs: Free
- 5yrs to 7yrs: $8.00
- Children’s Rates:
- Lunch: $14.00
- Children’s Rates:
- Under 5yrs: Free
- 5yrs to 7yrs: $10.00
- Children’s Rates:
- Brunch/Dinner: $16.00
- Children’s Rates:
- Under 5yrs: Free
- 5yrs to 7yrs: $12.00
- Children’s Rates:
Faculty/Staff/Students Living Off-Campus Meal Pricing
- Breakfast: $7.00
- Children’s Rates:
- Under 5yrs: Free
- 5yrs to 7yrs: $3.50
- Children’s Rates:
- Lunch: $8.00
- Children’s Rates:
- Under 5yrs: Free
- 5yrs to 7yrs: $5.00
- Children’s Rates:
- Brunch/Dinner: $12.00
- Children’s Rates:
- Under 5yrs: Free
- 5yrs to 7yrs: $7.00
- Children’s Rates:
- Family Friendly Fridays: Fridays between 4:30 pm and 7:30 pm.
- Adults: $9.00
- Children Rates:
- Under 5yrs: Free
- 5yrs to 7yrs: $5.00
Please Note: Faculty and staff pricing applies to Bates faculty, faculty emeritus , staff and their immediate family paying to dine in Commons and students living off-campus. A Bates ID may be required for verification. We accept debit cards, credit cards, Apple Pay and Bates College gift cards, but we do not accept cash.
Commons Academic Hours of Operation
| Day | Hours of Operation |
| Monday-Thursday | Breakfast: 7:00am-10:30am Lunch: 10:30am-3:30pm Dinner: 4:30pm-8:30pm Note for Lunch: The grill opens at 11:00am. The Platforms close at 2:00pm. Salad and Deli close at 2:30pm. Brick Oven remains open until 3:30pm. The doors close at 3:30pm. Note for Dinner: The Platforms close at 8:30pm except Pasta which is open until 9:00pm. The doors close at 9:00pm. |
| Friday | Breakfast: 7:00am-10:30am Lunch: 10:30am-3:30pm Dinner: 4:30pm-8:00pm Note for Lunch: The grill opens at 11:00am. The Platforms close at 2:00pm. Salad and Deli close at 2:30pm. Brick Oven remains open until 3:30pm. The doors close at 3:30pm. Note for Dinner: The Platforms close at 8:00pm except Pasta which is open until 8:30pm. The doors close at 8:30pm. |
| Saturday | Hot Continental: 7:00am-9:30am Brunch: 9:30am-2:30pm Dinner: 4:30pm-8:00pm Note for Brunch: The Platforms close at 2:00pm except Salad & Deli which are open until 2:30pm. Doors close at 2:30pm. Note for Dinner: The Platforms close at 8:00pm except Salad/Deli which is open until 8:30pm. The doors close at 8:30pm. |
| Sunday | Hot Continental: 7:00am-9:30am Brunch: 9:30am-2:30pm Dinner: 4:30pm-8:30pm Note for Brunch: The Platforms close at 2:00pm except Salad & Deli which are open until 2:30pm. Doors close at 2:30pm. Note for Dinner: The Platforms close at 8:30pm except Pasta which is open until 9:00pm. The doors close at 9:00pm. |
The Last Academic Board Plan Meal in May is lunch for underclassmen on Thursday, May 28.
Commons Academic Break/Recess Hours of Operation
October Break
| Day | Hours of Operation |
| October 14-17 | Brunch: 10:30am – 2:30pm Dinner: 4:30pm – 8:30pm |
| October 18 | Resume Normal Academic Hours of Operation |
The Bobcat Den will be closed Wednesday, October 14 – Sunday, October 18 and will reopen on Monday, October 19.
November Break
| Day | Hours of Operation |
| November 20 | Dinner: 4:30pm – 8:30pm LAST BOARD PLAN MEAL |
| November 21-24 | Brunch: 10:30am – 1:00pm Dinner: 4:30pm – 7:00pm |
| November 25 | Brunch: 10:30am – 1:00pm Dinner: CLOSED |
| Dinner November 26-27 | CLOSED |
| November 28 | Brunch: 10:30am – 1:00pm Dinner: 4:30pm – 7:00pm |
| November 29 | Continental: 7:00am – 9:30am Brunch: 9:30am – 2:30pm Dinner: 4:30pm – 9:00pm FIRST BOARD PLAN MEAL |
| November 30 | Resume Normal Academic Hours of Operation |
The Bobcat Den will be closed Saturday, November 12 – Sunday, November 29 and will reopen on Monday, November 30.
December Break
| Day | Hours of Operation |
| December 14 | Dinner: 4:30pm – 8:30pm LAST BOARD PLAN MEAL |
| December 15 | Brunch: 10:30am – 1:00pm |
| December 16-January 1 | CLOSED |
| January 2-11 | Brunch: 10:30am – 1:00pm Dinner: 4:30pm – 7:00pm |
| January 12 | Brunch: 10:30am – 2:30pm Dinner: 4:30pm – 9:00pm FIRST BOARD PLAN MEAL |
| January 13 | Resume Normal Academic Hours of Operation |
The Bobcat Den will be closed Saturday, December 12 – Tuesday, January 12 and will reopen on Wednesday, January 13.
February Break
| Day | Hours of Operation |
| February 12 | Dinner: 4:30pm – 8:30pm LAST BOARD PLAN MEAL |
| February 13-21 | Brunch: 10:30am – 1:00pm Dinner: 4:30pm – 7:00pm FIRST BOARD PLAN MEAL |
| February 22 | Resume Normal Academic Hours of Operation |
The Bobcat Den will be closed Saturday, February 13 – Sunday, February 21 and will reopen on Monday, February 22.
March Recess
| Day | Hours of Operation |
| March 17-March 21 | Brunch: 10:30am – 2:30pm Dinner: 4:30pm – 8:30pm |
| March 22 | Resume Normal Academic Hours of Operation |
The Bobcat Den will be closed Wednesday, March 17 – Sunday, March 21 and will reopen on Monday, March 22.
April Recess
| Day | Hours of Operation |
| April 26 | Dinner: 4:30pm – 8:30pm LAST BOARD PLAN MEAL |
| April 27-May 2 | Brunch: 10:30am – 1:00pm Dinner: 4:30pm – 7:00pm |
| May 3 | Resume Normal Academic Hours of Operation |
The Bobcat Den will be closed Sunday, April 25 – Sunday, May 2 and will reopen on Monday, May 3.
Pre-Board Plan/Early Arrival Hours of Operation
| Day | Hours of Operation |
| August 22 | Breakfast: 7:00am-10:30am Lunch: 10:30am-2:30pm Dinner: 4:30pm-8:00pm Note for Lunch: The grill opens at 11:00am. The Platforms close at 2:00pm except Salad & Deli which are open until 2:30pm. Doors close at 2:30pm. Note for Dinner: The Platforms close at 8:00pm except Salad/Deli which is open until 8:30pm. The doors close at 8:30pm. |
| August 23-29 | Breakfast: 7:00am-10:30amPlease Note: Thursday, Aug 27th – Breakfast will start at 6:30am, for arrival day! Lunch: 10:30am-3:30pm Dinner: 4:30pm-9:00pm Note for Lunch: The grill opens at 11:00am. The Platforms close at 2:00pm. Salad and Deli close at 2:30pm. Brick Oven remains open until 3:30pm. The doors close at 3:30pm. Note for Dinner: The Platforms close at 8:00pm except Pasta which is open until 8:30pm. The doors close at 9:00pm. |
| August 29 | Breakfast: 6:30am-10:30am- earlier open for AESOP Lunch: 10:30am-2:30pm Dinner: 4:30pm-8:00pm Note for Lunch: The grill opens at 11:00am. The Platforms close at 2:00pm except Salad & Deli which are open until 2:30pm. Doors close at 2:30pm. Note for Dinner: The Platforms close at 8:00pm except Salad/Deli which is open until 8:30pm. The doors close at 8:30pm. |
| August 30-September 1 | Breakfast: 7:00am-10:30am Lunch: 11:00am-2:30pm Dinner: 4:30pm-9:00pm Note for Lunch: The grill opens at 11:00am. The Platforms close at 2:00pm. Salad and Deli close at 2:30pm. Brick Oven remains open until 3:30pm. The doors close at 3:30pm. Note for Dinner: The Platforms close at 8:30pm except Pasta which is open until 9:00pm. The doors close at 9:00pm. |
| August 31 |
Resume Normal Academic Hours of Operation – First Board Plan is Dinner on August 31 |
Bobcat Den Hours of Operation
The Bobcat Den is closed during all Breaks and Recesses and will close at 3pm during Exam Weeks.
The Bobcat Den will repoen on August 24. Following are the hours of operation for the August 24-September 19
Note: THe Den will be closing on September 1 at 10:00a in observance of Convocation and will not reopen
- Mondays: 7:45am-3:00pm
- Tuesdays: 7:45am-3:00pm
- Wednesdays: 7:45am-3:00pm
- Thursdays: 7:45am-3:00pm
- Fridays: 7:45am-3:00pm
- Saturdays: Closed
- Sundays: Closed
Be sure to check back after September 19 for additional hours and schedule information!
CurbCat Food Truck Hours of Operation
From July 7 through August 13, the CurbCat will be open every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.. The Cat will be serving daily specials alongside your favorite menu classics. Stop by and enjoy a delicious meal with a beautiful view of Lake Andrews—the Cat will be parked behind Smith.
Bobcat Catering Hours of Operation
Bobcat Catering is happy to serve the campus community daily. To guarantee we can accommodate your event, please keep the following in mind:
- Standard catering requests need at least five business days’ notice.
- If you’re requesting beer or wine, please give us a minimum of ten business days’ notice.
Be aware that requests made with less than five business days’ notice might not be fulfilled and will incur a late fee. We schedule on a first-come, first-served basis and can’t guarantee support for all late requests.
Upcoming Service Limitations:
please note important information below concerning times when catering service will be limited or unavailable.
Bobcat Catering will not be taking additional catering requests on:
- August 15 – 21 2026 – Closed Facility Maintenance /DCCE Training
- August 27, 2026 – New Student Arrival
- September 1, 2026 – Convocation
- October 2, 3, 4, 2026 – Back to Bates
- November 18, 2026 – Harvest Meal
- December 15, 2026 – January 12, 2027 – Closed
- January 18, 2027 – MLK Day
- May 23-31, 2027 – Senior Week/Commencement
- June 4-19, 2027 – Reunion, Employee Enrichments, Trek Across Maine
Public Access to Commons
Commons is open to the public on a limited basis (see schedule below.) Groups larger than five will need prior approval which will be granted based on operational capacity. Note that groups larger than 10 will not be approved for access from 10:30a-2:30p Monday through Friday. For any questions, please contact Todd McCollough at tmccollo@bates.edu. We only accept debit/credit cards/gift cards, no cash. Gift cards can be purchased at the bookstore.
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Breakfast: 7:00am – 9:00amLunch: 10:30am-11:30amDinner: 4:30pm – 7:30pm
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