Campus Dining Beyond Foodservice

GEN Z

Students’ needs and wants are ever evolving. It‘s your job to not only keep up but stay ahead.

As competition to attract and retain students increases, the quality of campus dining and living is more important than ever. Incoming students demand something more than a traditional dining program and meal plan. And with $143 billion in spending power, surpassing their expectations is crucial to your institution's success.

Gen Z’s foodservice demands, dining behaviors and preferences are always changing. We continuously collect student feedback and gather insights to make powerful innovations on the campuses we serve. The impact transforms life on campus, driving value and increasing meal plan membership for all.

60%

of students factor health into their dining decisions

25%

of students follow a special diet

55%

of Gen Zs are likely to use online ordering for to-go orders

90%

of Gen Zs are likely to buy a product with a social or environmental benefit

CULINARY INNOVATIONS TO SATISFY APPETITES

In order to better serve students, our approach is rooted in student analytics and the insights derived from serving 300 colleges and universities. We go directly to students every year with our DiningStyles™ survey, where we analyze the responses from over 93,000 college students. The survey delivers actionable insights on 17 attributes, including evolving trends, tastes, habits and behaviors. Further, our campus-specific Your Voice Counts™ program gleans real-time data so campuses can immediately respond to their students’ preferences. Our team utilizes this firsthand information to improve meal plan programs and increase revenue, regardless of enrollment rates.

ARTISAN COOKING

The best-tasting food begins with fresh, local and seasonal ingredients prepared from scratch and cooked to perfection. Chefs prepare small batches in open kitchens, customizing meals for each student’s unique preferences and incorporating global flavors to a campus’s diverse student population.

44%

of Gen Zers cite the ability to customize meals as the most important factor in ordering.

UNMATCHED CULINARY TALENT

Each year, we showcase the continuous innovation and culinary prowess of our chefs across the U.S. in a culinary battle dubbed the Aramark Culinary Excellence (ACE) Competition. Chefs across the country display the innovative meals they create each day.

RESIDENTIAL DINING

We connect with students in an environment and with a menu designed for what they want — it’s not a cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all program. Success begins with a three-pronged approach targeting innovative design, dynamic menus and engaging promotions.

RETAIL DINING

As a leading franchise operator in foodservice, we offer the widest portfolio of popular national and local brands. We also collaborate with our partners to create exclusive dining concepts influenced by regional tastes and students’ favorite flavors.

42%

of students express interest in seeing more international street foods on menus.

LOCAL CONNECTION

Procuring local, seasonal and responsibly sourced products has resulted in a direct impact on our local and global economies, health and wellness, and the environment. We’ve committed to purchasing from local farmers and growers — within 250 miles of our locations — whenever possible.

PLANT-FORWARD MEALS

As more students and consumers embrace plant-forward diets, Aramark is introducing more menus that favor vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes and nuts.

63%

cite weight management as their top reason for eating plant-forward meals.

ALLERGEN-CONSCIOUS MENU OPTIONS

The True Balance Allergen Solution Station offers innovative meals without seven of the most common food allergens: milk, egg, peanut, tree nut, soy, wheat and shellfish. We also eliminate barley and rye ingredients for those with celiac disease or gluten intolerance.

1 in 13

people under the age of 18 has a food allergy

CONVENIENCE IS KEY

Today’s students continue to seek quick, easy access to grab a drink, snack, salad or sandwich between classes or essential products throughout the day. Around-the-clock dining options provide convenience and variety in settings that fit students’ lifestyles. Each of our c-stores prioritizes fresh options, pre-portioned selections and portable items.

85%

of consumers would visit a convenience store if one were available on their campus

TECHNOLOGY

We elevate the customer experience by developing tools that provide access to choice, convenience, speed and personalization. Whether it’s mobile ordering, food delivery, expedited checkout or predictive purchasing, we never stop innovating.

PLACES TO HANG OUT

Multi-use spaces are designed to break the “dine and dash” mentality. Students strategically choose where they spend their free time, opting for social spaces that meet their demands for digital interaction, comfy spaces that evolve with their needs, and restaurant-quality dining options.

GOOD HEALTH & WELL-BEING

Aramark launched Healthy for Life, an initiative with the American Heart Association, that introduces industry-leading menu commitments by reducing calories, saturated fat and sodium levels in our menus by 20%.

ZERO HUNGER

Aramark has a partnership with Swipe Out Hunger, a national nonprofit seeking to promote high-impact, innovative solutions to address hunger on campus—including programs to donate unused meal swipes.

MINIMIZE FOOD WASTE

Aramark donates surplus prepared food to hunger relief agencies in our communities whenever possible, including partnering with colleges and universities to divert waste from landfills. We’ve pledged to reduce food loss and waste in our operations 50% by 2030.

40%

of the food in the U.S. — totaling 1.3 billion tons — goes to waste each year.

RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION

We are committed to ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns. That includes ethical sourcing and using humanely raised and sustainably sourced food. We promote innovative menus that feature an array of plant-forward and climate-healthy foods, humanely raised proteins, sustainable seafood, no deforestation, and fair trade.

DECENT WORK & ECONOMIC GROWTH

We strive to promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, productive employment and decent work for all. Through our global volunteer and philanthropic program, Aramark Building Community, we are inspiring families to lead healthier lifestyles and empowering youth and adults to succeed at work through education and skills development.

REDUCE INEQUALITY

Fostering an equal and inclusive workplace culture centered around a shared purpose is vital to meeting the needs of our team members, customers and communities. We received a perfect score of 100% on the 2019 Corporate Equality Index.

BUILDING A CONNECTED CAMPUS

MEAL PLAN OPTIMIZATION

We created a proprietary data-driven process to ensure our partners have the best insights to plan for student and financial success. Meal plan optimization uses analytics taken from student demographics and meal plan sales data to increase sales, student satisfaction and student retention on campuses.

53%

purchase on-campus meal plans for convenient dining options.

PEER-TO-PEER SELLING

A student ambassador program is a meal plan sales program that enlists students as dining ambassadors to act as liaisons between students and university dining. The face-to-face approach gives deciding students an informal resource to connect with before making a purchasing decision.

48%

of students consider the opinions of their peers before making a purchase.

To Us, Great Meals are a given. Teams built on integrity and transparency are what set us apart.

Rated No. 1 among Diversified Outsourcing Companies, Aramark is recognized as one of the World’s Most Admired Companies by FORTUNE, as well as being included in The Ethisphere Institute’s list of the World’s Most Ethical Companies. Our 280,000 employees impact millions of people each day in 19 countries around the world for the last 60 years.

With hospitality being woven into our culture, we understand that investing in team members and the proper training is what sets us apart from the competition. Every year, more than 500 students and recent grads are hired from our partner universities and are enrolled in a management training program that fast-tracks them to a career with Aramark.

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Student Experience is More Than Food Service