Through our surveys and conversations on campuses, we often hear students ask for more variety or request specific flavors, cuisines, or items that happen to be their unique favorite thing.
Those are fair requests. Students don’t want to feel like they’re eating the same thing every day. But here’s the honest reality: no dining hall can build enough separate stations to satisfy every taste at every meal. You could add new station concepts every semester and still miss someone’s preference that day.
Realizing this challenge, we spent time getting into the details of what students really want when they say variety. In most cases, students don’t really want more variety. They want more control.
That’s where customization wins. They want to choose more than just chicken or beef. Maybe they love Asian, but they can’t have the peppers in today’s Kung Pao. Maybe they don’t like the horseradish in the Alabama White Sauce on the BBQ chicken today, but classic BBQ would really hit the spot. The ability to customize ingredients solves those challenges without having to create an infinite number of prepared options.
Take our Global Bowl concept. One station. Multiple grains, greens, proteins, toppings, and sauces. The math on how many unique creations are possible almost becomes endless. From those ingredients, students can build something that tastes Mediterranean, Korean, Indian, Mexican, or something entirely their own.
Or look at Habaneros. It’s not just “Mexican food.” Its tacos, bowls, burritos, salads, spicy or mild, light or indulgent. One concept becomes dozens of possible meals. Skip the Mexican flavors altogether and create a cheddar ranch chicken bowl. That would not be an option if we simply served a signature Mexican entrée for that station.
The same story repeats itself with other stations like sandwich bars, stir fry, pasta, personal pizza, and more. When students design their own plate, satisfaction rises dramatically.
The idea is also a more efficient use of space and resources. Instead of building out and staffing five separate niche concepts, we invest deeply in fewer stations that flex to many preferences. It reduces complexity while increasing perceived choice. Ironically, fewer stations can actually feel like more options.
Customization also aligns with broader food trends. Students are more aware of dietary needs, allergens, and health goals than ever. They want to choose their own portions and ingredients, not accept a preset plate. Not every student wants to try new swicy trends like honey harissa, but many do. Offering a custom sauce at Global Bowl vs an entire prepared dish of honey harissa chicken is a win for everyone.
Main line stations with prepared entrees still have their place. In many dining halls, the core home cooking or classic entrees are still the most popular. The idea here is to provide extremely versatile secondary stations that solve the need for variety in a more efficient way.
Because in dining, real choice doesn’t come from more stations. It comes from customization.