Made with Love: How Campus Dining Helps Students Feel Cared for and Supported

A lot has been written about the universal love of food. It’s no wonder, given its prominent role in the most meaningful moments of our lives. If you get people talking about their fondest memories, you may notice that many of them involve food. Whether it’s the joyful chaos of 20 relatives gathered around a table for a holiday meal, a backyard barbeque birthday party full of raucous laughter, or sitting on the floor of a newly purchased first home eating pizza from paper plates, so many of life’s milestones are marked by enjoying food with the people we care about.

Food has a unique ability to bring people together, bridge gaps, and create connections, especially when it’s made with genuine care and shared with love. It’s a powerful tool for helping college students feel the sense of belonging that helps them thrive. In fact, research shows that food is the number one driver of student engagement on campus.

It’s easy to prepare and serve food with love when you’re among family and friends. But what about when you aren’t in your grandmother’s kitchen or hosting a dinner party for your inner circle? What if, instead, you’re serving thousands of students at campuses across the country each day? The complex challenges inherent to operating a large-scale campus dining program might seem to be at odds with the idea of infusing every dish with love. Concerns about efficiency and effective resource management can put pressure on even the most dedicated, passionate culinarians. Leaders are tasked with reconciling these competing priorities, and it can be challenging in a world where everyone feels rushed, deadlines are never ending, and expectations are high.

Love as a Leadership Strategy

The latest chapter of President to President dives into this issue. In “Creating Campus Belonging by Leading with Love,” Hollins University President Mary Dana Hinton, Ph.D., shares insights about her commitment to leading with love in a world that doesn’t always make that easy to do. She describes her experiences in balancing the demands of students, parents, community members, trustees, and government officials, as well as the scrutiny that higher education leaders are subject to today. Dr. Hinton encourages leaders to act from a mindset of love by prioritizing authenticity, advocating for the things you believe in, and allowing your values to guide even seemingly mundane aspects of your work. She also encourages building real relationships and adopting the idea of “relentless welcome” by offering care and compassion to everyone you interact with.

Dr. Hinton illustrates that, even as a leader who must make hard decisions at times, it is possible to infuse everything you do with love. I fully believe in this idea, in part because I see it in action each day at the campuses Sodexo serves. In fact, the company’s culture of care, compassion, and relentless welcome is one of the things I’m most proud of as a leader here. Every time I visit a Sodexo partner campus and step into a dining venue, I see evidence of this culture in the friendly smiles, warm greetings, and genuine connections between students and dining employees. Our frontline employees play a critical role in helping students feel that all-important sense of belonging that helps them thrive, and it’s a responsibility Sodexo takes seriously.

A Culture that Encourages Care

The key is to create an environment where employees are encouraged to truly care about students, and that starts by building a foundation of excellent service. Sodexo’s Experiences Matter Customer Service Training program embodies our commitment to providing employees with the tools and training they need to truly impact students’ lives. It ensures employees are prepared, equipped, and empowered to make a meaningful difference each day. The program has been widely recognized as an industry leader, becoming a four-time award winner, including the recent Silver Award from the national Stevie Awards/American Business Awards.

Creating a culture that fosters a sense of love and care for students also requires ensuring employees feel appreciated. Our award-winning THX:) for Making My Day program invites students to recognize a Sodexo employee for providing exceptional service. We encourage managers to show appreciation regularly by calling out exemplary work and celebrating employees in meaningful ways, including nominating employees for recognition through the KUDOS program. THX:) and KUDOS receive a combined total of more than 10,000 nominations a year.

Sodexo also celebrates our teams each spring in honor of National Employee Appreciation Day (NEAD). Through fun onsite events, special meals, giveaways, and personal messages of gratitude from senior leaders, we show employees how much we value them and the incredible work they do. We also celebrate employees through social media posts that showcase their efforts. In 2026, social media posts celebrating Sodexo team members on NEAD garnered more than 1.1 million impressions, as well as nearly 42,000 engagements, shining a spotlight on the critical role frontline employees play in students’ lives and their success on campus.

Supporting Students During Challenging Times

Through these initiatives, Sodexo empowers employees to create a welcoming environment where students feel seen, heard, and cared for. This is especially important today, given students’ ongoing struggles with mental health.