Anonymous
Post 10/09/2025 00:14     Subject: Best campus food
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Bowdoin is absolutely incredible. I look forward to going to the dining hall when we visit our kid.

They don't pay for a dining caterer like many schools do. They have their own in-house chefs and it shows. They take great pride in their food quality understand that community is built around the table.


Easy when you're cooking for like a dozen kids. lol


U Mass Amherst is ranked #1 for food.
Anonymous
Post 10/08/2025 23:48     Subject: Best campus food
I believe hot breakfast at Harvard was generally cut during the Great Recession. A lot of their endowment is restricted for other things apparently.
Anonymous
Post 10/08/2025 22:49     Subject: Best campus food
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Bowdoin is absolutely incredible. I look forward to going to the dining hall when we visit our kid.

They don't pay for a dining caterer like many schools do. They have their own in-house chefs and it shows. They take great pride in their food quality understand that community is built around the table.


Easy when you're cooking for like a dozen kids. lol
It's actually cheaper per student aa the number of students increases
Anonymous
Post 10/08/2025 19:07     Subject: Best campus food
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:How's the food at smaller liberal arts colleges that don't have a large enough student body to justify 3 million different food options?

DH and I both went to larger schools with tons of choices (multiple cafeterias, delis, fast food, and even sit-down restaurants) and availability. It was easy to grab food on off hours, pretty much anywhere on campus.

How does that work at schools with 2,000 students?


Could be the food is better because they can focus on smaller quantities over mass production with 2,000 instead of 40,000.


The food at Amherst is grotesque, so there goes that theory.


totally agree - it’s disgusting
Anonymous
Post 10/08/2025 19:00     Subject: Best campus food
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:How's the food at smaller liberal arts colleges that don't have a large enough student body to justify 3 million different food options?

DH and I both went to larger schools with tons of choices (multiple cafeterias, delis, fast food, and even sit-down restaurants) and availability. It was easy to grab food on off hours, pretty much anywhere on campus.

How does that work at schools with 2,000 students?


Could be the food is better because they can focus on smaller quantities over mass production with 2,000 instead of 40,000.


The food at Amherst is grotesque, so there goes that theory.
Anonymous
Post 10/08/2025 18:58     Subject: Best campus food
Anonymous wrote:Bowdoin is absolutely incredible. I look forward to going to the dining hall when we visit our kid.

They don't pay for a dining caterer like many schools do. They have their own in-house chefs and it shows. They take great pride in their food quality understand that community is built around the table.


Easy when you're cooking for like a dozen kids. lol
Anonymous
Post 10/08/2025 18:58     Subject: Best campus food
Anonymous wrote:VT and JMU were great.


Agree!
Anonymous
Post 10/08/2025 12:12     Subject: Best campus food
Back in the day, Harvard food was terrible. I hear from current students it's still bad. Only freshmen get hot breakfasts, the rest get continental. My theory is they don't invest in the food because they don't have to.
Anonymous
Post 10/08/2025 12:08     Subject: Best campus food
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:UMD dining is awesome! So much choice, open late, dining halls & cafes throughout campus, well prepared, delicious, no swipe counts per day or plate limits.


I've heard this consistently. Big schools will obviously be able to offer much more in terms of dining options.


Mine is at another B10 school and they don't really like the food options. They end up eating a few of the same thigns over and over. We took them and their roommate out and it's not just my kid being picky.
Anonymous
Post 10/08/2025 12:01     Subject: Best campus food
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:How's the food at smaller liberal arts colleges that don't have a large enough student body to justify 3 million different food options?

DH and I both went to larger schools with tons of choices (multiple cafeterias, delis, fast food, and even sit-down restaurants) and availability. It was easy to grab food on off hours, pretty much anywhere on campus.

How does that work at schools with 2,000 students?



Thanks to a new dining manager, Amherst College has upped its dining game in the past year. I think the college was sick of the kids complaining and trying to get into the UMass dining hall. They are also prepping for the swanky new dining hall and student center opening next year. Good variety, and some food sourced locally (in addition to produce, ice cream, milk, coffee, bagels from local shops/creameries). My kid loves the food and is (his words) eating better than he has his whole life. However, certainly can't compare with the range of offerings you describe. It's small: 1 dining hall offering a few entrees, pizza, pasta, and salad bar, with 2 small cafes, plus a grab 'n' go option on class days. But I attended a HYPSM, the food was dreadful, and I had nothing like the range you describe either. It's also a 10-minute walk to town, where there are lots of eateries. Pizza, Mexican, Tibetan and Chinese are popular takeout spots.


My Amherst student would disagree. This year started off well but after the first two weeks it was back to the usual slop.



My kid doesn't think so. In the last week, they've had ribs, salmon, pasta carbonara, Indian. Tonight pierogies, tomorrow Chinese, Friday Cajun, Saturday Mexican. Variety seems good. But it's definitely small, with limited options on campus. DC doesn't think it's slop at all. Maybe once every week or two doesn't like the dinner and has pizza or grabs something in town.



DC and I ate at a number of LACs while touring colleges.

Trinity bad
Grinnell bad
Williams bad
Swat and Amherst good
Bowdoin excellent


Just a snapshot though. I'm sure all dining halls have good days and bad days.
Anonymous
Post 10/08/2025 09:34     Subject: Best campus food
Schools with large hospitality programs like Cornell and VT tend to have good dining programs.
Anonymous
Post 10/08/2025 09:32     Subject: Best campus food
Anonymous wrote:UMD dining is awesome! So much choice, open late, dining halls & cafes throughout campus, well prepared, delicious, no swipe counts per day or plate limits.


I've heard this consistently. Big schools will obviously be able to offer much more in terms of dining options.
Anonymous
Post 10/08/2025 09:23     Subject: Best campus food
UMD dining is awesome! So much choice, open late, dining halls & cafes throughout campus, well prepared, delicious, no swipe counts per day or plate limits.
Anonymous
Post 10/08/2025 09:16     Subject: Best campus food
Yale.
Anonymous
Post 10/08/2025 09:12     Subject: Best campus food
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:How's the food at smaller liberal arts colleges that don't have a large enough student body to justify 3 million different food options?

DH and I both went to larger schools with tons of choices (multiple cafeterias, delis, fast food, and even sit-down restaurants) and availability. It was easy to grab food on off hours, pretty much anywhere on campus.

How does that work at schools with 2,000 students?



Thanks to a new dining manager, Amherst College has upped its dining game in the past year. I think the college was sick of the kids complaining and trying to get into the UMass dining hall. They are also prepping for the swanky new dining hall and student center opening next year. Good variety, and some food sourced locally (in addition to produce, ice cream, milk, coffee, bagels from local shops/creameries). My kid loves the food and is (his words) eating better than he has his whole life. However, certainly can't compare with the range of offerings you describe. It's small: 1 dining hall offering a few entrees, pizza, pasta, and salad bar, with 2 small cafes, plus a grab 'n' go option on class days. But I attended a HYPSM, the food was dreadful, and I had nothing like the range you describe either. It's also a 10-minute walk to town, where there are lots of eateries. Pizza, Mexican, Tibetan and Chinese are popular takeout spots.


My Amherst student would disagree. This year started off well but after the first two weeks it was back to the usual slop.



My kid doesn't think so. In the last week, they've had ribs, salmon, pasta carbonara, Indian. Tonight pierogies, tomorrow Chinese, Friday Cajun, Saturday Mexican. Variety seems good. But it's definitely small, with limited options on campus. DC doesn't think it's slop at all. Maybe once every week or two doesn't like the dinner and has pizza or grabs something in town.