There’s a phrase I often say that makes people smile, pause, and then nod in total agreement “Good comfort food equals happiness, and it is best served warm and often.”
It sounds simple, because it is. But beneath that simplicity is a powerful truth that too many colleges and universities overlook good food isn’t just about calories or convenience. It’s about
human connection, comfort, and community. It’s a powerful strategy, not a service line. It knits emotional infrastructure. And when it’s done right, it changes everything for the better.
As founder of Porter Khouw Consulting and the pioneer of SOCIAL ARCHITECTURE™, I’ve spent over 30 years working with institutions across North America to help them reimagine dining as a transformative force. When you give students access to food they crave, in spaces that invite interaction, you don’t just make them full, you make them feel at home.
Let me show you what I mean.
The Emotional Power of Comfort Food
Let’s talk chicken tenders, poppers, mozzarella sticks, and pizza.
Sure, they’re student staples. But more importantly, they’re social anchors. These foods aren’t just familiar, they’re friendly and familiar. A plate of chicken tenders and fries or jalapeño poppers with ranch dipping sauce is an invitation to stay and share. Mozzarella sticks? Golden, gooey, and practically made for late-night laughs. And pizza and bread sticks, let’s be honest, it’s the global language of togetherness. And, when done right, you are tapping into a lifetime of good memories around birthday parties, family gatherings, hanging out with friends. “It’s home” in your new home away from home.
When we work with universities to create next-generation dining programs, we don’t dismiss comfort food, we elevate it. We make it intentional. That means:
· Late-night hours with poppers and mozzarella sticks -are available when students need a break.
· Build-your-own pizza bars that spark interaction.
· Seating layouts that encourages students to sit, stay, and share instead of eating alone
Comfort food is a tool. It breaks down barriers. It turns strangers into roommates. And when it’s served fresh, hot, and well? It makes people happy.
From Sweet Cravings to Shared Experiences
Now add a make your own hot Belgian waffle with vanilla ice cream.
This isn’t just dessert—it’s celebration on a plate. It’s indulgent, unexpected, and exactly the kind of experience that lifts students out of stress and into joy.
We’ve seen schools build entire events around waffle bars: midterm morale boosters, Sunday brunch specials, or even “Waffle Wednesdays” where students line up for a warm, crispy Belgian waffle topped with a scoop of vanilla, a drizzle of chocolate, some fresh berries, or a swirl of whipped cream.
And it works. Why?
Because food like this turns routine into ritual. When students start saying “See you at waffle night,” you’ve already won. You’ve created tradition, and in our SOCIAL ARCHITECTURE™ framework, tradition = human connection = retention.
The right food, in the right moment, creates emotional memory and that emotional memory is what helps students connect and stay connected.
The Science of Happiness (and the Business Case Behind It)
There’s real science behind the idea that good food elevates mood. Nutrient-rich meals stabilize blood sugar, improve cognition, and boost serotonin. But more than that, the experience of eating good food, especially with others, triggers dopamine. It literally makes us feel more connected, more content, and more engaged.
Now layer that over the college experience. First-year students walk onto campus overwhelmed and unsure. The first six weeks are critical, what we call the “social integration window.” If they don’t find their people, their place, or a sense of belonging, they drift and they are isolated, but good food in a communal space becomes the emotional magnet that sparks and nutures human connection and strengthens emotional bonds.
We’ve seen this across hundreds of campus engagements: students who dine regularly on campus, in well-designed environments with crave-able food, are more likely to report higher satisfaction, better mental health, and stronger academic performance. These aren’t guesses, they’re consistent outcomes backed by research and real-world data.
And here’s the kicker: good food is good business.
When schools invest in value, quality, variety, flexibility, and environment, they make dining strategic and don’t just make students happy. They improve retention. They boost housing occupancy. They reduce medical and mental health withdrawals. And they increase net auxiliary revenue. In fact, under our no-risk success fee model, we’ve helped institutions increase their food service remuneration by hundreds of thousands, and in some cases, over a million—without spending a single extra dollar upfront.
Happiness Is a Strategy
So, what does this all mean for presidents, CFOs, and auxiliary service leaders?
It means this: stop treating dining like a background operation. Stop focusing only on margins, upfront capital and meal plans. Start focusing on how food affects the student experience. In today’s hyper-competitive, value-driven higher ed market, what students feel on campus often determines whether they stay.
If they walk into a space that smells amazing, with food that excites them, with staff who know their name, and tables filled with students laughing and connecting?
You’ve done more than serve a meal.
You’ve served a memory.
You’ve built a bond.
You’ve created happiness.
And if you have good food—it makes you happy.
When students are happy, they persist. They graduate, recommend your school, and come back as alumni. It all starts with something as simple as mozzarella sticks, as comforting as pizza, and as joyful as Belgian waffles with a scoop of ice cream.
Let’s Build the Future, One Plate at a Time
Higher education is facing seismic shifts: demographic cliffs, declining trust, rising competition. But one thing hasn’t changed, students want to feel like they belong.
When used strategically, food and campus dining is the most powerful tool , on a day-to-day basis, you can develop to deliver that feeling.
So don’t underestimate the plate. Don’t dismiss the tenders. Don’t downplay the power of a waffle bar.
Instead, lean into what we know: If you have good food, it makes you happy. And when you make students happy, everything else gets easier, retention, housing, mental health, academic performance, enrollment, and even your bottom line.
So let’s serve happiness, strategically, intentionally, and one delicious bite at a time.
