Virginia Tech continues to climb the ranks of the best campus dining programs in the nation. Housing and Dining Services was recently named No. 2 for Best Campus Food by The Princeton Review’s Best 361 Colleges 2007, and received an award from the Au Bon Pain Corporation on August 21 for Best Franchise of the Year.

The Princeton Review ranked Virginia Tech dining second in the nation—up seven spots from last year’s position at No. 9. The surveys conducted by The Princeton Review are based entirely on student evaluations of their own colleges and universities. Students from each of the 361 featured schools submit feedback to an 80-question opinion poll and their answers are compared to those from students at other universities. Therefore, Virginia Tech’s ranking is significant because it is a product of higher student satisfaction with the university dining program.

“The Princeton Review No. 2 ranking is very gratifying,” said Rick Johnson, director of Housing and Dining Services at Virginia Tech. “The ranking serves as tangible recognition of the efforts of all of the management and staff. We set out 13 years ago to provide the best dining program in the nation, and according to our customers, we have done it!"

Virginia Tech also received a culinary honor at the annual Au Bon Pain Conference awards banquet in Boston, Mass. on August 21, when its Au Bon Pain franchise was named Franchise of the Year. This recognition is a major honor, as Virginia Tech was selected over all of the other Au Bon Pain franchises worldwide.

The Au Bon Pain franchise at Virginia Tech reported sales of $2.9 million last year, an increase of 23 percent from its first year of operation. Au Bon Pain recognized the franchise based on factors such as gross sales, quality of service and cleanliness scores, and maintenance of the facilities.

The dining program’s success can be linked to an effort to tailor facilities to students’ needs. Table Talk Live, which gives students a chance to offer suggestions to dining center staff in person, along with online and paper comment cards, allows students to share their opinions on dining directly with administration. In addition, the Student Advisory Committee, a panel made up of students who volunteer to participate, meets regularly with administrators to provide input and opinions. Housing and Dining Services has made changes to its menus, improved facilities, and extended hours of operation as a result of student feedback from these programs.

Virginia Tech continually strives to provide the best on-campus dining experience in the nation. This year alone, Housing and Dining Services has received several prestigious honors and awards, including a Best Concept Award from Food Management Magazine. Virginia Tech’s dining program has also received more than 25 Loyal E. Horton Awards from the National Association of College and University Food Services since 1992.

Providing high quality food, offering excellent customer service, and staying abreast with current trends in dining have become hallmarks of the dining program at Virginia Tech. Customer satisfaction is paramount, and Housing and Dining Services holds special events throughout the year, renovates and improves facilities, employs executive chefs and trained culinary professionals, and follows stringent food safety and quality procedures in an effort to increase satisfaction.