2014 College Power Players: Indiana

10. Indiana University-Bloomington, Bloomington, IN

Students Living on Campus: 12,000
Dining Head: Sandra Fowler, director of dining services
Total Enrollment: 43,000
No. of Meal Plans Sold: 9,600
Annual Dining Program Revenues: $41.2 million
Cost Range of Residential Meal Plans:  $2,600-$4,200/year
No. of Residential Dining Halls/Commons: 1
No. of Retail Outlets: 25
Management: self-operated
Website: www.rps.indiana.edu/dining.cfml
Phone: (812) 855-1764

IU’s flagship Bloomington campus features three distinct neighborhoods, each with its own set of eateries. The campus dining highlight is the Restaurant at Woodlands, the main dining location in the Southeast Neighborhood, which opened last fall and features nine “micro-restaurants” featuring menus made from fresh ingredients. The Southeast Neighborhood is also served by a couple of cafes and El Bistro at Read, a popular concept developed by students that menus signature and customizable waffles, burritos, and deli sandwiches.

The other two neighborhoods, Central and Northwest, each have a food court. Northwest Neighborhood also has the multi-station Edmonson Dining Room and the late-night Hoosier Den venue while the Central Neighborhood includes the combination c-store/prepared food concept Union Street Market, which offers a salad bar, hot entrees and deli items (including kosher, gluten- and nut-free and vegan) as well as packaged goods, including organics and local products.

First-year students (with a few exceptions) at IU are required to live on campus and must purchase meal plans. One notable feature of the dining operation at IU, which is part of the Residential Programs & Services Dept., is eMeal, an online service that allows students to order food and drinks from various campus dining locations and designate a pickup time and location.

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