The farm-to-table movement has arrived on college and university campuses, ushering in new trends in menu planning and food service environments. As more students prioritize fresh, healthy food choices made from local ingredients, campuses are transitioning away from conventional cafeteria-style dining halls in favor of more dynamic arrangements of food islands, grab-and-go cases and prepared-to-order options.
Schools are placing more emphasis on giving students control of portion sizes, meal choices and a healthy lifestyle. When combined with students’ interests in global cuisine and options for gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian meals, this push toward healthy eating gives architects and facility planners inspiration for creating dynamic and sustainable dining amenities.
Choice-Inspired Floor Plans
The latest dining facility layouts are informed by student choice, with plenty of options for each individual to customize a meal based on his or her food preferences. Food stations with mix-and-match menu components might offer a student a madeto- order sandwich at one station, a bottled beverage from a to-go case, or a hot dish from another area. The design puts the student first, with fewer lines. In many cases, fresh foods are prepared while students wait.
Food stations also present opportunities for menu variety. Global choices are widening from Italian and Chinese foods to Indian, Thai, and Mexican cuisines. Yet student choice still reigns supreme; at a preparedto- order noodle bar, for example, a student may choose from a set menu of bowls or create a customized bowl based on the fresh and pre-cooked ingredients on display.
Presenting a food-first display extends to retail sales within school dining complexes. Markets are replacing traditional convenience stores for packaged grab-and-go products, with items such as fresh fruit, premade sandwiches, salads, and other food products available for late-night snacking or preparing in a residence hall kitchen. Interior design retains a sense of convenience while adding the sophisticated merchandising of a gourmet grocery. Lower shelving, often of wood or another material chosen for durability and aesthetics, maintains openness and preserves views throughout the market space.
Flexible seating arrangements within dining venues enable students to enjoy a sense of gathering. A focal point such as a fireplace or even a large television might center the space and add a design element that encourages relaxation. Despite the emphasis on menu flexibility and prepared foods to go, institutions recognize that students value the camaraderie of mealtime. Inclusions such as long farmhouse tables invite groups to share meals together, while traditional tables and chairs remain mainstays.
Merchandising and presentation have also become part of the food experience. Product displays might include baskets of fruit, glass reach-in cases that clearly present refrigerated food, towers of fresh breads or pastries, or coffee beans ready to be freshly ground for hot beverages. Schools want students to see the fresh ingredients on offer, to demonstrate the connection between fresh food and a healthy lifestyle and to show their commitment to catering to students’ culinary preferences and lifestyles.
Floorplan flexibility with multiple options for food service has an added benefit. In addition to offering students greater choice, it enables an institution to keep some food stations or kiosks open to accommodate late night dining or snacking.
Furnishings Put Food on Display
To reinforce the healthy dining atmosphere, schools are putting food in the spotlight. Equipment like fresh juice dispensers or yogurt machines are being built into custom cabinetry. Shaved ice and designer containers are used to elevate the display quality for hot and cold food. The first impression is to present fresh, healthy food on view.
Food islands enable a clear view of menu choices from any vantage point, while giving food service workers the convenience of being able to refresh or otherwise access the foods without interrupting service.
In stations that incorporate a food service worker preparing ingredients or personally serving, the food preparation area may be protected by sanitary glass or plexiglass dividers while still remaining in the open for a strong visual connection.
Furnishings must maintain a level of flexibility. Sit-down seating tends to include rectangular or square tables, affording the ability to push tables together for larger groups. A variety of table sizes, heights, and locations enable students to create functional arrangements that suit their needs, just as the food options let them create custom meals.
Soft seating within a casual lounge area has become commonplace, particularly in environments where grab-and-go options prevail. Plenty of electrical outlets for laptop and phone charging and Wi-Fi service are must-haves.
Natural Beauty
Sustainability and durability continue to inspire material choices for dining facilities. Products that look warm and natural, while being easy to maintain and durable for high student traffic are no longer mutually exclusive. Porcelain tile, luxury vinyl flooring, simulated stone, and wood are leading choices.
Durable and slip-resistant, both porcelain tile and vinyl are good choices for flooring. Porcelain carries a timeless aesthetic and offers easy maintenance over a 25-year life cycle. Newer luxury vinyl products come in a wide array of tile sizing, with colors and patterns to mimic wood or natural stone at a fraction of the cost. Vinyl also offers durability and low maintenance, but over a shorter life span.
Architects have been working with applications of stained concrete for flooring in new construction dining halls. Aside from visual appearance, the primary difference between concrete and tile is slip resistance. While manufacturers include a verified coefficient of friction for flooring tiles, ensuring they meet applicable codes, concrete doesn’t offer the same verification. The burden falls to installers to ensure the finished surface is code compliant.
Reclaimed or natural wood and butcher block are becoming common for tabletops, where edge integrity will hold up to tables being bumped against one another. In food stations and display areas, natural wood complements durable and environmentally friendly simulated stone products including those made of quartz.
Designers should not neglect the importance of light to enhance food display or to support an overall aesthetic theme. LEDs are becoming more prevalent for energy efficiency, whether in individual fixtures or as strip lighting within casework. LEDs can provide a warm light that complements the food. Pendants provide directed light on specific food displays or in seating areas.
Nourishing Body and Community
As with other aspects of college and university design, from fitness centers to residences, architects and schools are putting students first. Healthy, fresh food with many options prevails in food service layout and menu. Merchandising, staging, and planning for the comprehensive dining experience are generating new dining halls that are warm, welcoming and nourishing to the individual student and the school community.
Kratzer AIA, LEED AP BD+C, is a founding principal of Buell Kratzer Powell Architects. [email protected]
Daley is a senior designer and project manager at Buell Kratzer Powell Architects. [email protected]
