Hospitality Services Nationally Ranked for Dining Operations

Texas Tech University recently was ranked No. 33 in the top 50 Power Player list published by Food Management Magazine. It is one of only three universities in Texas to be included in this ranking.

“Texas Tech is excited and honored to be included in this ranking,” said Texas Tech President M. Duane Nellis. “It is our goal to serve our students, and as our campus grows, we will continue to offer them accessible dining locations with a variety of foods to meet everyone's needs. Congratulations to Kirk Rodriquez and his staff on this well-deserved recognition.”

The Power Players list showcases universities' dining operations with high student populations and ranks the top 50 institutions based on students living on campus, number of meal plans sold, annual dining program revenues, average cost of meal plans and number of food courts and retail outlets on campus.

“Hospitality Services is excited to have our dining program recognized in the magazine, since this is the first time the program has made the list,” said Kirk Rodriguez, managing director of Hospitality Services. “We continue to look forward to future plans and serving more students as our campus grows.”

Increased enrollment has led Texas Tech's Hospitality Services to renovate existing dining locations and add new ones to become more accessible to students not closely located to the main dining locations.

Earlier this summer, Hospitality Services added the first university-owned food truck in the Big 12 Conference called StrEat, an extension from the established eatery in the Student Union Building. Offering a unique, on-the-go menu, the food truck enables students to grab a full meal during the day without going to a main dining location. The StrEat food truck can be seen around campus and has two set locations at Memorial Circle and the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center.

The Market at the Stangel/Murdough residence hall, largely populated with freshmen, underwent renovations over the summer with an updated food court and new eating locations. The Market eateries host numerous types of foods, including sub sandwiches, wraps, authentic Mexican foods, grilled items, Mongolian/wok foods, build-your-own salad bar and the Day Break® Coffee Roasters café, where specialty coffees are served. It also is home to the first Fazoli's® on a university campus.

Other current and future additions include Raider Exchange in the West Village residence hall along with a new Quiznos® restaurant that will open this spring at the Burkhart Center for Autism Education & Research. This new location will serve as workforce training for students with autism spectrum disorder.

Hospitality Services offers two food courts and 35 retail outlets and is dedicated to student success by engaging the university community through healthy and savory food choices in comfortable, convenient locations.

To learn more about its food choices offered and dining locations, please visit the Texas Tech Hospitality Services website.