Who We Are

To support and promote excellence in collegiate dining.

To be the professional resource for collegiate leaders elevating dining, transforming the campus community experience.

NACUFS institutional members include private colleges, large public universities, two-year colleges and four-year universities. Our members are self-operated, contract managed or a hybrid of both and located in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and beyond. Our industry members represent a broad spectrum of regional, national and international companies from food and equipment manufacturers, equipment to brokers and foodservice-related companies. For additional information on membership, click here.

In 1958, NACUFS was founded by a group of college and university foodservice professionals from across the United States. The brainchild of Richard Lichtenfelt, then director of dormitory food services at Central Michigan University, NACUFS became the first association solely focused on foodservice in colleges and universities.

NACUFS governing principles are contained within the association's bylaws.

Our Strategic Priorities

As a trade association dedicated to supporting and promoting excellence in collegiate dining, NACUFS will pursue four priority strategic initiatives to best place NACUFS as a highly valuable resource to position college and university foodservice professionals to deliver distinctive campus dining experiences, cultures, and strategic value.

The National Association of College & University Food Services (NACUFS) is the largest foodservice association serving colleges and universities in higher education. Our mission is to support and promote excellence in collegiate dining. Our core values include integrity, inclusiveness, continuous improvement, critical thinking, and responsiveness. We are committed to celebrating individual differences, practicing inclusion, and treating people with fairness and dignity. We will endeavor to work with people and organizations who share our core values.

In keeping with our core values, NACUFS is committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of diversity and inclusion. We value and support diversity and the inclusion of all within our community without regard to the individual’s age, ancestry, color, disability, gender identity or expression, genetic information, HIV/AIDS status, military status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or veteran status. NACUFS maintains that inclusion and diversity builds high performing organizations where people feel respected, engaged, and valued for who they are and what they contribute.

Discrimination against, or harassment of any individual based upon the aforementioned, or other traits or characteristics set forth in federal, state or local law, is prohibited.