This study examines patterns of cultural consumption at four universities as indicated by the dining options offered on their campuses. I explore the diversity of university dining options, the considerations that guide dining personnel’s decisions about what foods to offer, and how campus dining reflects and reinforces each university’s status based on analysis of the dining options at campus dining halls and retail diners, dining services websites, and interviews with dining personnel. Results indicate considerable differences in the diversity of dining options available at each campus. The higher status universities provided more high-status, cosmopolitan dining options and placed more emphasis on ethical dining concerns compared to other universities, which prioritized function, cost, and convenience. These findings have implications for the role of universities in creating patterns of cultural distinction and in reinforcing symbolic boundaries related to food consumption among university students.
