CDS Responds to Reddit Post Alleging Issues at Browne Dining Hall
Browne Dining Hall. (Photo: Emily Yu)
On May 19, an anonymous Reddit user posted in r/Caltech, a Reddit forum for Caltech-related posts, alleging food safety, sanitation, and workplace issues at Browne Dining Hall. The post appeared under the username “No-Environment-3923” and was titled “PSA from a former cook: Be very careful eating at Caltech Dining Halls (Browne).” The Tech messaged the user through Reddit, who accepted the message request but did not reply before the account was deleted.
In the post, the user claimed to be a former Caltech Dining Services (CDS) cook with 15 years of professional kitchen experience, though the Tech has not independently verified the poster’s identity or employment history. The post alleged several food safety and workplace issues, including cross-contamination and allergen-separation concerns, temperature-control problems, grease buildup, pest concerns, an electrical hazard, and concerns involving a manager’s conduct and a dog being brought to facilities. The post also stated that the author had filed a complaint with the Pasadena Public Health Department (PPHD).
Later that evening, Food Committee (FoodComm) Chair Sophia Steven (CS ’26, Venerable) sent an email to undergraduates that included a statement from CDS saying, “All Caltech dining facilities are subject to regular inspection by the Pasadena Public Health Department (PPHD). These inspections are unannounced and typically happen quarterly. Inspection reports and results are publicly available on the PPHD website (search for Caltech). No [CDS] facility has ever received a rating lower than an A-equivalent within the last 10 years that we have records available.” The email also stated that CDS reached out to PPHD “to proactively engage them in this case.”
In conversations on May 29, May 31, and June 1 with the Tech, Director of Dining Services Jaime Reyes addressed the claims in the Reddit post and discussed the May 27 inspection report. The week after the post appeared on Reddit, a PPHD representative came to Browne on May 27 and conducted an inspection. Jaime reiterated that CDS immediately reached out to PPHD on the day of the post and said PPHD does not notify facilities before inspections. He said Browne did not prepare for an inspection after the post, adding that his policy is not to prepare for inspections but to make changes afterward based on the findings.
The resulting placard displayed in Browne initially listed a “Conditional Pass” and a score of 72. On June 1, a PPHD health inspector returned around noon to update the placard after PPHD identified a scoring error. In an email from PPHD to CDS reviewed by the Tech, PPHD stated, “When an inspection results in a Conditional Pass (a score below 85) 12 points is automatically deducted from the original score. However, that is only the case during the reinspection. Since this is not a reinspection, I have adjusted the score back to the original score which was an 84. My apologies on this mistake.” The follow-up inspection will be conducted on or before June 15. The prior PPHD report for Browne was a Feb. 3 routine inspection, which listed a rating of “Pass” and a score of 96.
According to Pasadena’s Retail Food Field Inspection Guide, scores are determined by deducting the point value assigned to each violation from an initial score of 100: 4 points for a major critical risk factor violation, 2 points for a minor critical risk factor violation, 1 point for a good retail practice violation, and 26 points for an imminent health hazard. A 12-point deduction applies “when a food facility has been issued a Conditional Pass and a major violation is observed during a follow-up inspection, or when the facility was unable to earn a score of 95 or above during the inspection.”
The May 27 inspection report reviewed by the Tech listed four minor violations and eight good retail practice violations, accounting for the 16 points deducted. Those counts were also detailed in the inspection summary provided to the Tech by Jaime and Sophia. Access to the summary requires signing in with a Caltech Google account.
The four minor violations related to dry hand-washing stations and glove use, temperature control, food-contact surface cleaning and sanitizing, and pest concerns. The eight good retail practice items marked out of compliance involved equipment maintenance, warewashing, ventilation, garbage facilities, storage of personal items, vermin-proofing, and floor cleanliness. Among these items were unused equipment in storage areas, a plastic measuring cup stored in a rice container, and garbage containers with lids left open.
The report did not list violations matching several specific allegations in the complaints and Reddit post. The inspection summary states that some corrective actions were completed during the inspection, while others had already been scheduled or were planned.
Before the May 27 inspection, FoodComm discussed the Reddit post at its May 21 meeting, according to the meeting minutes shared with committee members after the meeting. In response to cross-contamination and allergen-separation concerns, the minutes state that the Special Meals program has one cook in a separate special-meals kitchen. Materials are color-coded by allergen and equipment is sent to the dish room for washing and sanitizing after use.
On the post’s claims about bugs in the salad bar, the minutes state that CDS buys prepackaged, washed lettuce and checks it before serving, though occasional bugs can be difficult to identify. The minutes also state that Browne did not have broken laminate and a pest control company consistently visits every other week, or sometimes once a week, depending on need.
The May 27 inspection reported three rodent droppings in the scullery room and one nymph German cockroach in the basement dry storage room, with no other evidence of pest or vermin activity observed. According to the summary, the droppings and cockroach were removed during the inspection, and CDS “is sealing gaps larger than ¼ inch, keeping exterior doors closed when not receiving deliveries, and continuing pest-control services.”
The minutes also addressed the post’s claim about overflowing grease interceptors. According to Jaime, large interceptors are cleaned every three months and smaller ones every six months for thoroughness, although they are not required to be cleaned that often. The minutes state that reports showed 11% to 25% fill levels, and the interceptors were “not even 50% full” when cleaned.
The May 27 report listed an out-of-compliance item for garbage facilities, including heavy grease accumulation on a grease collection container and the surrounding wall and floor. The summary says CDS cleaned the affected area and planned to restrict use of the container, which management said “was primarily being used by outside groups (grad students).” Management also said CDS has a separate main grease waste system under the facility.
According to the minutes, FoodComm also discussed reports that more workers appeared to be cleaning in Browne on the day of the Reddit post. The minutes state that only regularly scheduled employees were working and that CDS did not believe extra cleaning had taken place.
As for the dog referenced in the post, Jaime said the dog had not been in the kitchen and had stayed only in an office separated from the kitchen. He also said staff were not required to walk the dog. According to the May 27 inspection summary, “the dog was not present in kitchen areas and will not be brought into the facility until all required approvals (for Service Animals) are completed.” In this context, Jaime clarified that “facility” referred to the office area of Browne, not the kitchen.
Jaime also said CDS buys the majority of its food from Sysco and receives three deliveries per week from the company, while most produce is delivered six days a week. “I am paying a little more, but I want to make sure that we’re having fresher produce,” Jaime said. Sophia added that CDS expenses also include labor and software for functions such as timekeeping.
A Reddit commenter claimed CDS generated a profit last year. The Tech did not find public financial records disclosing CDS’s standalone profit or loss. Caltech’s audited financial statement for fiscal year 2025 does not report CDS separately. The statement says, “Auxiliary enterprises expenses include the costs associated with revenue-generating supporting services, including undergraduate room and board, graduate and faculty housing, retail stores, and dining facilities.”
Asked about the May 19 poster’s identity, Jaime said CDS does not know who wrote the post. CDS has not had a cook resign since December, and the cook who left then did so for another job and remained on good terms. Jaime said CDS uses staffing companies, and the poster could have worked for one of them. The May 21 FoodComm meeting minutes also list a temporary employee from a staffing company as a possibility. The original post indicated that CDS employees are unionized, but they are not. A comment on the post addressed the discrepancy, and the original poster replied, “I stand corrected,” before removing the reference.
Following the Reddit post and May 27 inspection, Jaime said CDS reviewed existing procedures and expanded its current checks. CDS increased kitchen sweeping at Browne from four to five times a day, added an extra spot check, added additional cleaning for the North Kitchen, and increased hood cleaning from twice to three times per week. The May 27 summary also lists increased hood-cleaning frequency and increased sweeping and mopping frequency as corrective actions.
In Sophia’s May 19 email to undergraduates after the Reddit post, she included a link to an anonymous Google Form for students to share concerns, experiences, or questions. On May 31, messages in an unofficial group chat for parents of Caltech undergraduates reviewed by the Tech encouraged parents to email the president’s and dean’s offices about dining hall concerns.
The May 21 minutes also state that Jaime has an open-door policy and students can come to him with concerns. In a conversation with the Tech, he added that CDS events such as pop-up bistros, farmers markets, Midnight Madness, and the Halloween Maze are intended to help make students more familiar with Dining Services staff.
Both Jaime and Sophia emphasized that FoodComm is one way for students to raise dining-related concerns. Affiliated students can bring concerns to their house representatives, while unaffiliated students can reach out directly to the chair. Each week, the committee meets with Kristen Pineda, Administrative Assistant for Dining Services, and Jaime to discuss what went well and what could use work. “I’m really lucky because Jaime and Kristen and all of CDS have been really receptive to student feedback,” Sophia said. “I know that other committees and other people on campus may be less receptive to student feedback, but [CDS] always takes what the students are bringing very seriously.”
Sophia also said that all FoodComm representatives can access the weekly meeting minutes. Some CDS changes, including individually packaged Nutella and peanut butter instead of jars in Open Kitchen, came from FoodComm feedback. Jaime said he would like to see more participation in FoodComm, and Sophia said broader participation, including the possibility of adding an unaffiliated representative, could help students bring concerns forward.