Skip to main content

The 17 Most Popular Restaurants On American Campuses

On most American campuses, you are bound to spot a few restaurants where you can pop in for a burger or two and a cold glass of cola, but in terms of campus frequency*, these are the top 17;


17. WHICH WICH 

Which Wich Burger

This is a funky sandwich joint, created by Jeff Sinelli (also the founder of the Genghis Grill), that produces sandwiches that are undeniably addictive. Which Wich has proven to be extremely popular on campuses where it is located and it’s always a lunchtime favorite amongst students.
Must try: The Philly Cheesesteak

16. AU BON PAIN

Au Bon Pain

This is a bakery retail unit with a history steeped in French cuisine; businessman Louis Kane bought the store from a French baking equipment manufacturer who showcased their ovens by having French bakers bake with them instore. Their soups are widely known for the freshness of ingredients used and it’s often the spot to catch up with friends at the end of a long day.
Must try: Corn & Green Chili Bisque and the Two Tomato Cabrese

15. DUNKIN’ DONUTS 

Dunkin' Donuts

A truly American brand, this beloved store started out as a little catering service offering sandwiches and snacks to factory workers who worked on the outskirts of town but William Rosenberg, the founder, soon realized that almost half of his profit came from the sale of donuts and coffee and thus, a brand was born. Today, there are over 12,000 stores in 36 countries.
Must try: Blueberry Glazed Donut and the Sausage, Egg and Cheese Sandwich

14. TACO BELL 

Taco Bell tacos

Taco Bell is a specialty restaurant offering up Tex-Mex delicacies such as quesadillas, tacos, nachos and burritos. The creaminess of its dips is second to no other and you are sure to find a student or two chowing down on some nachos covered in its signature salsa sauce on campus.
Must try: Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Tacos Supreme

13. GRILLE WORKS 

Grille Works

This is a newly established food restaurant brand but don’t let that turn you off; their burgers are packed with a punch of flavor and their buffalo wings are fall-off-the-bone tender.
Must try: Chili Cheese French Fries

12. STEAK N SHAKE 

Steak n Shake Burger

This restaurant was started in the 1930’s by Gus Belt and he gained a massive following right off the start because of his practice of grinding steak into burgers in front of his customers, which was a novel idea at the time. This practice is still carried out in Steak n Shake’s commissary where the open grill is still open to public viewing.
Must try: Garlic Steakburger

11. JAZZMAN’S BREW AND BAKERY 

Jazzman's Cafe

This is a coffee and bakery shop run by the Sodexo group, a services and facility management company with headquarters in Paris. Its specialty coffee blends are an extreme hit with students and most concur that Jazzman makes the best coffee on campus but shhhh, don’t tell Starbucks that.

10. FRESHENS 

Freshens Smoothie

Freshëns is a restaurant brand that is all about “healthy eating – better living” and offers many healthful choices from hand-crafted crepes to fresh-blended smoothies or a variety of fat free frozen yogurt options. They take enormous pride in creating smoothies that are 100% clean and this means that every spoon of Freshëns smoothie is free from anything artificial and is made with only real fruits and vegetables.
Must try: Maui Mango Smoothie

9. MOE’S SOUTHWESTERN GRILL 

Moe's Southwestern Grill

MOE is an acronym for Musicians, Outlaws and Entertainers and it’s a fast casual restaurant specializing in the creation of popular Mexican meals. It recently displaced Chipotle Mexican Grill as the Fast Casual Mexican Restaurant of the Year and this can be indirectly related to its growing popularity among college students.
Must try: First Rule of Chicken Club

8. PIZZA HUT 

Pizza Hut pizza

Founded with a $600 loan obtained from their mother, Dan and Frank Carney worked around the clock to build Pizza hut from a little rented location to about 4,000 locations in just 19 years. Pizza Hut now has over 40 variations of pizza toppings to choose from and nothing truly beats munching on some PH’s pepperoni pizza while chilling at the end of a long day.
Must try: Hawaiian Chicken Pan Pizza

7. JAMBA JUICE 

Jamba Juice smoothies

This brand was founded by a healthy-lifestyle advocate called Kirk Perron and going through the menu, would literally make your cells jump for joy at the incoming goodness. The options are packed with wholesome ingredients; ranging from fruit energy bowls to vegetable medley smoothies and you can often find college students clutching to a Jamba Juice cup as they make their way to class on a hot summer day.
Must try: Caribbean Passion Smoothie

6. PAPA JOHN’S PIZZA 

Papa John's Pizza

John Schnatter used the broom closet in the back of his father's tavern, Mick's Lounge, in Jeffersonville, Indiana to start up the first Papa John Pizza restaurant in 1984. Papa’s popularity steadily grew year after year but it blew up even further when they invented the pizza dipping sauce to go alongside their pizza, especially the crust. 
Must try: ‘The Works’ Pizza

5. PANDA EXPRESS 

Panda Express meal

This is a fast food restaurant serving up Asian cuisine and it’s the largest Asian-style restaurant in the United States. Their entrees are notoriously delicious and you can trust to find a student or two twirling some Chow-Mein on some chopsticks in any of their campus restaurants.
Must try: String Bean Chicken Breast and Broccoli Beef with Brown Steamed Rice and Mixed Vegetables

4. SUBWAY 

Subway sandwich

Subway is a fast food restaurant with the highest number of franchises worldwide due to the never-ending demand for its sub sandwiches. Its sandwiches come in a number of variations but you can be sure that each one will be drenched with a whole lot of juicy goodness.
Must try: Chicken & Bacon Ranch Melt

3. EINSTEIN BROS BAGELS

Einstein's Bros Bagels

Einstein’s is a bagel and coffee shop with over 400 locations in America. Einstein’s has some of the most interesting recipes ever created with bagel as the base and its breakfast variations are sure to get you pumped up for the day.
Must try: Crispy Chicken & Tater Breakfast

2. CHICK-FIL-A

Chick-Fil-A Burger

Chick-Fil-A is a restaurant brand that has thoroughly entrenched itself into the American college experience, thus it is rare to find a campus without a branch (although these do exist). Chick-Fil-A has a rich history and it prides itself in being one of the first to perfect the chicken sandwich recipe which to this day, it stays true to.
Must try: Grilled Chicken Club

1. STARBUCKS 

Starbucks drink

It’s very easy to see why Starbucks is at the top of this list; you can find it on any American college campus either as a standalone shop or sold by little café shops. It is the most accessible beverage brand in America and this makes it a go-to shop for most college students. On a hot summer’s day, nothing truly beats sucking on a cold Frappuccino whilst taking a walk.
Must try: Caramel Frappuccino Blended Coffee

*A sample of 200 universities/colleges from 37 states were chosen at random to obtain the survey results given.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

10 American Universities Offering Full-Ride Scholarships to International Undergraduate Students

The United States of America remains a popular destination for international students to gain a tertiary education as it provides quality education and an array of promising career opportunities upon graduation.  But even with these wonderful reasons, it is a well known fact that obtaining an American education is quite expensive and this has caused many a student to give up on the American dream as the attendance costs keep rising from year to year and show no attempt at slowing down. If you are at this time, looking to study in the United States but have limited resources at your disposal, look no further as we have compiled a number of universities and colleges that offer full-ride scholarships that cover tuition, fees, accommodation and feeding for the entire four years of undergraduate study. 1.  CENTRE COLLEGE Courtesy of Centre College Facebook Page Centre College is located in the small town of Danville, Kentucky and its curriculum is designed with a focus on providing its stud

These are The Most Likely Breakfast Meals You'll Be Served at an American College Dining

Breakfast is often said to be the most important meal of the day and most American universities do not take this notion lightly as they make sure that there are a wide range of items served for breakfast and these are usually arranged by categories to allow for easy retrieval. Listed below are the most common items likely to be served at breakfast in an American college dining*. 1. MEATS 1.1 HAM Courtesy of Dinner then Dessert Ham is the tasty meat of a pig’s hind leg that has been preserved by salting; the ones served in most college dining have been smoked for additional flavor. For breakfast, you can pair this with whatever bread is on offer or some baked potatoes or simply garnish a bowl of vegetables from the vegetable bar for a hearty salad. 1.2 BACON Courtesy of Southern Living Bacon is similar to ham but this time, the meat is gotten from the pig’s back; most universities tend to also have a healthier option on offer such as the turkey bacon. Because of its