The people have spoken.
Specifically, the 144 Northwestern freshmen and sophomores who responded to The Daily’s survey about student dining habits said that, on aggregate, Allison Dining Commons is the most preferred dining hall on campus.
When asked to rank the five dining halls in order of preference, 34% of respondents rated Allison first, followed by 25% who chose Elder Dining Commons. (The Daily weighted the data to ensure equal representation for each of the four campus regions: North, Northeast, South and Southwest.)
The least popular dining halls were the two sides of the Foster-Walker Dining Commons, which students commonly refer to as Plex. Forty percent of students said Plex West — the designated allergy-free dining hall — is their least preferred, followed by Plex East at 24%.
Students also rated Allison as the most frequently visited dining hall, followed by Sargent Dining Commons. Second-most-popular Elder, which is located the furthest north of the dining halls, was most likely to be rated students’ least frequently visited dining hall.
The divided dining habits between North and South Campus residents were clear in the data.
Allison was rated the most preferred dining hall by half of students living on South Campus, compared to 23% of students living on North Campus. Meanwhile, North Campus students rated the two North Campus dining halls — Sargent and Elder — favorably.
The divide was even more extreme when considering the most visited dining halls by region. By a significant margin, 73% of South Campus students said Allison was their most attended dining hall, while 53% of North Campus students said they visited Sargent the most. Another 35% of North Campus students said they frequented Elder the most.
The Daily also surveyed students about their preferences for meal exchanges, which are swipes students can use for a meal at seven non-dining hall locations on campus.
Shake Smart — located in Norris and known for its açaí bowls and protein shakes — reigned victorious in the meal exchange battle.
Nearly half of students chose Shake Smart as their most preferred meal exchange. Lisa’s Cafe — a North Campus spot which serves Mexican food — placed second with 20% of most preferred votes. The least popular meal exchange was 847 Burger, which 29% of students ranked as their least preferred.
The Open Access Meal Plan, which is required for most on-campus students, grants students up to five meal exchange swipes per week in addition to unlimited dining hall swipes. The survey suggested that most students use most of their swipes every week, with over half of students using either five or four swipes in an average week.
How often do on-campus students take a break from NU dining options and cook for themselves? For the most part, infrequently. Almost three in every five students say they never cook, while another quarter say they do so only infrequently.
Meanwhile, just under half of students say they eat off-campus at restaurants in Chicago or Evanston at least once per week, with a plurality of students (46%) doing so only infrequently.
With the unlimited meal plan required for all freshmen and sophomores, students have options if they choose to dine on campus.
Email: saitrivedi2028@u.northwestern.edu
Twitter: @SaiTrivedi12
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