Having the capacity of feeding thousands of students for three times a day, college dining halls have the characteristics of being large and being constructed in a way that gives a cafeteria-style look. In other words, you can differentiate well between college dining halls and restaurants.
Although these dining halls do not have the capacity to serve food as good restaurants, some colleges do set a caliber higher than the rest.
Niche is a company that conducts research based on schools and compiles it information; which gets published in the Best College Food in America. Niche conducted student surveys and complied the rankings.
The 2017 ranking of the five best college dining halls in America is given below:
University of California, Los Angeles
Average cost per meal: Not available
Virginia Tech
Average cost per meal plan: $3,730 per year
Washington University in St. Louis
Average cost per meal plan: $4,794 per year
The Culinary Institute of America
Average cost per meal plan: $2,800 per year
Bowdoin College
Average cost per meal plan: $7,000 per year