College Power Players: Miami (OH)

42. Miami University, Oxford, OH

Dining Head: Nancy Heidtman, senior director of dining & culinary support services
Total Enrollment: 17,720
Students Living on Campus: 7,581
No. of Meal Plans Sold: 11,000
Annual Dining Program Revenues: $43 million
Cost Range of Residential Meal Plans: $2,425-$3,525/semester
No. of Residential Dining Halls/Commons: 3
No. of Retail Outlets: 24
Management: self-operated
Website: blogs.miamioh.edu/dining
Phone: (513) 529-3040

Miami’s Diplomat resident meal plan, required for all residence hall occupants, uses a declining balance approach with discounts (60% at AYCTE, 30% at retail). There are 11 separate locations on campus, many with multiple food concepts, where students can get a bite, plus the strEATS food truck.
 
The highlight is Maplestreet Station, the newest dining facility on campus, which opened in August 2013 with seven freestanding restaurants, each with its own entrance, supported by a single production kitchen. The concepts include Red Brick (East Coast pizzeria/sub shop), Delish (New York style deli), Encounter (upscale burgers/hand-cut fries), Patisserie (upscale French bakery/chocolatier), First Stop (all-day made-to-order breakfasts); Pacific Rim (foods of Asia) and Americas (foods of Central/South America).

There is also the six-concept Western Dining Commons, which includes an allergen-free station, and the seven-concept Armstrong Student Center, which includes 50s diner (Pulley Diner), Latin American (Serrano), ice cream/gelato/smoothie/coffee (Miami Ice) and French (Haines Boulangerie) concepts, the latter serving fresh baked goods, customizable half-sandwich/salad/soup combos and even egg soufflés.

Notably, Miami has no mass-market commercial branded concepts in its dining mix.

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