URI took the grand prize in a competition run by the National Association of College and University Food Services, the leading trade group for college food services.

We’re not surprised. URI took some of the most popular concepts in casual dining, tossed them together, and created the trendiest, tastiest dining this side of a cruise ship. Our Hope Commons dining center offers students a menu of choices in its 600-seat Mainfare dining hall—everything from a pasta station, a stir fry station, a deli, a burger station, a 48-item salad bar, and much more.

The two-year-old, 47,000-square-foot complex built on the site of the old Hope Dining Center also offers a retail operation that features Starbucks coffee, pastries, brick oven pizza, ice cream, special entertainment events, and a convenience store that was named “Best in the Business” by the association in 2008.

All that certainly gives students like Kayla Smith from West Warwick some great food for thought.

Photo by Joe Giblin