College dining trending: Should your college campus dining be self-op or contract; Tulane partners with NOLA restaurants

Should your college campus dining be self-op or contract? There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to determining the best option for your campus. Different models work for different reasons for different campuses. Here, you can read both the pros and cons as well as factors to consider from an expert.

In New Orleans, Sodexo General Manager Chuck Cundiff and the food service team at Tulane built a partnership with several local restaurants over the summer, a solution that helped the restaurants stay afloat and kept more Tulane Dining employees busy as well. Here’s how the program is progressing into the new school year.

And in an attempt to make college dining more personal, the new Smile Behind the Mask customer service campaign at Halal Shack helps connect with customers on college campus. Of the many features of foodservice lost in the pandemic, from salad bars to packed indoor seating, the loss of service with a smile has to be one of the most heartbreaking. Halal Shack founder and CEO Jamal Rasoully, an alum of SUNY Albany, has found a way to use badges as a surprisingly workable smile substitute with its new program.

See what else was trending this week in college and university dining.