2014 College Power Players: Boston University

Boston University has three 4-star Certified Green Restaurants.

14. Boston University, Boston, MA

Students Living on Campus: 11,350
Dining Head: Craig Hill, associate vice president for auxiliary services
Total Enrollment:  33,421
No. of Meal Plans Sold: 10,189
Annual Dining Program Revenues: $69 million
Cost Range of Residential Meal Plans: $4,830-$5,120/year
No. of Residential Dining Halls/Commons: 4
No. of Retail Outlets: 32
Management: Aramark
Website: www.bu.edu/dining
Phone: (617) 353-2990

Campus dining at BU is highlighted by two-year-old Marciano Commons and its three 4-star Certified Green Restaurants: a dining hall incorporating Aramark’s Fresh Food Co. campus dining platform, a bakery and a late-night venue. Multi-level Marciano replaced three older dining facilities and significantly raised the profile of on-campus dining at BU, especially for resident students who can use a finger scanner to enter the dining hall and its dozen serving stations through the biometric turnstiles.

The 4-star venues, reportedly the only ones on a U.S. college campus, plus another 3-star food court, highlight BU’s commitment to sustainability, which also includes comprehensive waste reduction/diversion and a commitment to 20% sustainable food by 2018.

Retail dining on campus was recently enhanced with Takin’ It to the Street, which offers a menu of portable selections inspired by street foods from around the world, and the Fan Boy Food Truck, which menus Asian fusion selections highlighted by a build-your-own-bowl option with 16 choices.

Catering has been enhanced with a traditional dim sum cart, a handmade gnocchi station and a Living Green salad station featuring dishes made on a bed of hand-cut living micro greens. A robust social media commitment has given @budiningservice on Twitter the largest following of students on campus.

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