UMass Amherst Ranks First in Campus Dining for Fourth Straight Year

AMHERST — For the fourth straight year, UMass Amherst tops the rankings for Best Campus Food in the nation. The honor was revealed by the Princeton Review as part of its ranking of the top 20 colleges in 62 different categories for 2020.

“We chose the 385 colleges for this edition as our best overall, academically, based on data we gathered in 2018-19 from more than 1,000 school administrators about their schools’ academic programs and offerings,” said Robert Franek, the Princeton Review’s editor in chief, in a written statement. “We tally our lists using data we gather directly from students attending these colleges. Our survey asks the students about their professors, administrators, school services, campus culture, and other facets of life at their schools.”

UMass Dining is the largest collegiate dining program in America and is a recognized leader among college dining programs because of its focus on quality ingredients and meals, customer service, student health and wellness, customization options, an appreciation of global influences and modern eating trends, and creating community on campus.

“Wow, four years in a row! We’re truly blessed and honored,” said Ken Toong, executive director of Auxiliary Enterprises at UMass Amherst. “Our heartfelt thanks go to our hardworking staff. They make each idea, each new concept, and each day of excellence possible. We dedicate this achievement to the best customers in the world — our students — who voted enthusiastically and choose to dine with us daily. We also extend special appreciation to Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy and Vice Chancellor Andrew Mangels for their continued leadership and support of our efforts.”

UMass Dining serves more than 8 million meals per year. Locally sourced food plays a major component in its success. It has relationships with more than 100 local farms, spending $2.4 million annually with Massachusetts farmers and vendors and a total of $5 million in New England.