How Are The Dining Halls At The University Of Denver?
What college tours don’t tell you about food at DU
How Are the Dining Halls at the University of Denver?
There has been a national increase in how important college dining has become when students are choosing where to go to school.
We all remember being 18–22 years old, the average age of most college students. Most of us were in a constant pursuit of coffee, food, and more coffee. Because of that, universities being able to provide good dining options has become one of the top priorities for students and parents during the college search.
A recent survey by Inside Higher Ed called the “Student Voice Survey" backs this up. Almost half (40%) of current college students believe colleges should prioritize improving the variety and quality of flavors. Around 38% of students want fewer ultra-processed foods, and about one-third want a greater variety of cuisines.
Students also care a lot about dining halls being open earlier and later, and menus changing more often. What this really means is that how a university approaches a student’s physical and mental well-being through food matters more than most families realize.
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What You’re Shown on a College Tour
When families go on a college tour—often the only time they’ll ever see the dining hall—the guide usually walks everyone through, explains how many options there are, and breaks down the meal plans.
That information is helpful, but it’s not the most important part.
Let’s use the University of Denver as an example.
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University of Denver Dining Experience
If you visit DU, the tour will take you through the main dining hall on campus. You’ll hear that there are:
7 different food stations
3 different tiers of meal plans
$250 in “meal plan cash” per quarter that can be used at select kiosks around campus
On paper, that sounds pretty solid.
The Vivaday team went on over 10 campus tours at DU this past fall. In every single one, the tour guide spoke highly of the dining halls.
Then we went out and talked to hundreds of actual students.
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What Students Actually Say
What you don’t hear on the tour is that if you ask almost any current student who isn’t leading tours, the answers are very different:
“The eggs are always undercooked.”
“There are only a few decent stations, and they always cook the same thing.”
“Even though I have a meal plan, I usually just order DoorDash because I want better food.”
This is the reality at a lot of colleges—not just DU.
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Why This Matters
College tours are not designed to tell you the full truth about dining. They’re designed to show the school in the best possible light. The most honest answers almost always come from current students who are not involved with admissions.
That’s exactly why we built Vivaday.
Vivaday gives you direct access to vetted college students who get paid to share accurate, up-to-date experiences—so you can make better decisions and avoid surprises once you’re on campus.
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