Classroom to Table
C2T offers students and faculty the opportunity to get together outside of the classroom to share food and academic conversation.
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Students and faculty can either gather informally through the Pavement Coffee Break option or choose to meet for a restaurant meal in Harvard Square through our restaurant partners.
Participants in Classroom to Table must be the course head of a Harvard College undergraduate course offered this semester, ladder faculty for the College, or a currently enrolled Harvard College undergraduate student. Students may participate in one restaurant gathering and unlimited Coffee Breaks, as long as each is with a unique group of students and a different faculty member.
Additionally, students may invite ladder and non-ladder faculty and athletic coaches to dine with them in the Harvard Dining Halls. Faculty can swipe in with a Harvard ID and enjoy up to 10 complimentary meals per semester when accompanied by their students.
Ready for your coffee break?
Classroom to Table is currently closed will re-open in Spring Term 2025. Check back in February for details!
Guidelines and Procedures
This semester, currently enrolled Harvard undergraduate students may attend one restaurant gathering (either lunch or dinner), and an unlimited number of coffee breaks as long as each gathering is with a unique group of students and faculty. Faculty are not limited in the number of gatherings they may attend. Please follow the guidance below for gatherings. Only faculty members who are primary instructors in a Harvard College course and currently registered Harvard College undergraduate students are eligible to attend.
Restaurant Gatherings
For restaurant gatherings, a faculty member may invite between 3 and 5 students, or a group of 3 to 5 students may invite a faculty member. One faculty member per group. Group limits for restaurant gatherings are firm. All members of the group should agree upon a date and time and confirm their plan to attend before the submitter enters a restaurant gathering request.
Once you have consensus, enter the information requested into the online C2T application, and wait for confirmation. Please be aware that requests may take a few days to process, as restaurants need to confirm availability for the time and date of your gathering. Unlike the coffee break version of Classroom to Table, the restaurant option requires an exchange of information between application and restaurants. If your first-choice restaurant is unavailable at the time you request, the system automatically checks with the next restaurant on your list until options are exhausted.
Please do not contact our partner restaurants directly with any requests. Alterations, such as time or date changes and changes to the attendees, can be made directly through our Application. If you need help, email us at classroomtotable@fas.harvard.edu.
Coffee Breaks at Pavement Coffee
Use our online C2T application to provide information about your gathering’s participants. Once your gathering is approved, participants will receive an email with a $10 voucher for Pavement Coffee (located in the Smith Center). A faculty member may invite between 2 and 5 students, or a group of 2 to 5 students may invite a faculty member. Larger gatherings are also allowed, but require an email to classroomtotable@fas.harvard.edu for administrative guidance in entering the request. Separately from the C2T Web Application, you’ll schedule your gathering for any location and time that Pavement is open, then print out your vouchers, and get together to enjoy coffee and conversation.
Pavement Coffee does not have a mechanism to accept electronic vouchers, so please make sure to print your voucher. Please do not ask Pavement staff to accept a copy shown to them on your phone or other device. They unfortunately can’t accept an electronic format at this time.
FAQs
Restaurant Gatherings
Are TF/TAs eligible for Classroom to Table?
TF/TAs are eligible only when they are the sole instructor of a course.
Can I change the date of my reservation?
Yes. However, you will need to cancel your current reservation and resubmit a new request with the new date.
Can I bring fewer/more people than the stated guidelines/limits?
No. Unfortunately, we are unable to approve groups outside the size of our stated limits, in part due to restaurants’ ability to comfortably accommodate these gatherings. If you are set on a larger group, please consider the Coffee Break option or in-House dining.
Can I add/remove someone from my gathering?
Yes. You can change the attendees for your gathering in our system by selecting the gathering and editing it. However, you cannot invite an additional attendee to join at the restaurant without making the change in the system.
Can I pay for my own meal and attend more gatherings?
In the name of fairness, we are not able to make these types of exceptions.
Can the restaurants accommodate my allergy/special diet?
Yes. According to restaurant management they can accommodate a wide array of allergies as well as vegetarian/vegan diets. If you have a more specialized concern, please contact the restaurant.
My course had a meal outside of C2T. Can C2T reimburse us?
Unfortunately, we are unable to reimburse gatherings that took place outside of our system.
We don’t like the restaurant we were assigned to. Can we choose another restaurant?
Yes, but this will require you to cancel and resubmit at another date/time. The system tries to request reservations in order of your preferences and if you are assigned to a restaurant low on your preference list it likely means the other restaurants did not have availability.
How quickly will we hear back about our request?
This is dependent upon the restaurants and their availability. Restaurants are responsive and you may hear back in a day or two. If your first choice restaurant can’t accommodate the request, it may take longer for the request to flow through the system to the next restaurant on your list. During especially busy times there may be some delay.
Can I contact the restaurant directly to book a reservation for C2T?
No. All reservations must go through our system so participant eligibility can be verified in advance of the gathering, and payment can be made directly.
Coffee Breaks
Is there a limit to group size?
There is not a specific maximum number of participants for a Coffee Break gathering. If you have a larger section or a seminar group that wants to gather for Classroom to Table, the Coffee Break option gives you greater flexibility. Just keep in mind the challenges of conversation with a faculty member in a larger group, in an informal setting outside the classroom. If your group is larger, please consider that all students should still be able to directly interact with the faculty member.
Can you make an exception for us to meet up past the expiration date of the voucher?
Unfortunately, no. If your vouchers have expired, you have missed the window for Classroom to Table for this term. You can reapply for Coffee Break vouchers again the following term.