At the University of Florida (UF), feeding more than 63,000 students means staying hyper-attuned to rapidly evolving Gen Z tastes. Chartwells Higher Education’s Florida Fresh Dining program confidently rides the line between tapping into tastes and not blindly following trends.
The team has transformed nearly two dozen on-campus concepts in just a few years. Here, the Chartwells team shares exactly what young diners are craving and how operators can serve it up:
1. Authentic global flavors are universally loved
One of the strongest trends at UF is the continued demand for international cuisine—as long as it’s authentic. Students want much more than just an occasional global LTO or single specialty station—and they aren’t interested in Americanized versions, either.
“Our local survey at UF told us our students’ top food preferences were things like boba, ramen, sushi, poke bowls, Korean fried chicken, and Indian food,” says Courtland Thomas, the operation’s district marketing director. “So clearly, we had to open an international food hall.”…