The Loyal E. Horton Dining Awards is the ultimate professional tribute in college and university culinary arts. The award, named after a National Association of College & University Food Services (NACUFS) founder, past president, and highly regarded innovator, celebrates exemplary menus, presentations, special event planning and new dining concepts. NACUFS celebrates the innovative ideas and successful implementation of these programs. The winners, broken down into small, medium, and large institutions, will have their entries displayed at the National Conference and award winners are recognized and celebrated during a luncheon, with an announcement of the Grand Prize winners. Grand Prize winners will also receive recognition in Campus Dining Today®, the official magazine of NACUFS. 

Entry for the 2025 Loyal E. Horton Dining Awards is closed. 

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Rules and Criteria

The Loyal E. Horton Dining Awards is open to Institutional members only. In 2025, the categories are: 

Retail Sales: Single Concept of the Year
Retail Sales: Multiple Concepts of the Year
Retail Sales: Marketplace of the Year 
Catering Special Event of the Year
Residential Special Event of the Year
Catering Program of the Year
Renovation of the Year
Innovative Dining Program of the Year
Employee Development Program of the Year
Residential Dining Facility of the Year
Outreach & Education Program of the Year

Awarded to outstanding single concept retail facilities.

The 2025 Grand Prize Winner: Revealed at NACUFS 2025 National Conference

The winners in the Retail Sales: Single Concept of the Year for 2025 are:
 

Gold:   

Duke University

Silver: 

Stevens Institute of Technology

Jacksonville University

University of Richmond

University of Missouri

University of North Carolina - Wilmington 

Bronze: 

University of Arizona

Kent State University

Elon University

Honorable Mention:

University of Hartford

Awarded to outstanding multi-concept retail facilities.

The winners in the Retail Sales: Multiple Concepts of the Year category for 2025 are:

Awarded to outstanding marketplace concepts.

The winners in the Retail Sales: Marketplace of the Year category for 2025 are:

Awarded to a special event put on by the catering department of the university.

The winners in the Catering Special Event of the Year category for 2025 are:

Awarded to an outstanding event taking place in residential dining for its strong focus on the student experience.

The winners in the Residential Special Event of the Year category for 2025 are:
 

Gold:

Brigham Young University - Hawaii

Florida Institute of Technology

University of Missouri

Silver: 

Penn State University

Marywood University 

University of Richmond 

University of Minnesota Duluth

Bronze:

Georgia State University

Hendrix College

SUNY Cortland

University of Maryland

Manhattan University

Honorable Mention:

George Mason University

Cal Poly 

University of Houston

Awarded to outstanding catering programs who show value to their campus in everyday ways.

The winners in the Catering Program of the Year category for 2025 are:
 

Awarded to dining programs who were forward thinking in all aspects of their operation, including, but not limited to, technology, menu, guest experience, student affordability, staffing, and employee development.

The winners in the Innovative Dining Program of the Year category for 2025 are:
 

Awarded to dining programs who place an emphasis on growing and developing their team at all levels.

The winners in the Employee Development Program of the Year category for 2025 are:
 

Awarded to an outstanding dining facility that encapsulates the spirit of enhancing the student experience. The facility does not need to be new to enter and can be entered in multiple years. Second entries and onward must highlight new aspects of the operation that were created to enhance the student/guest experience in the facility (i.e., staffing improvements, technology improvements, menu changes, educational programming).

The winners in the Residential Dining Facility of the Year category for 2025 are: