UMass Dining

What UMass Dining does

UMass Dining is the in-house auxiliary dining services program of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, a public state university. It operates what it describes as the largest collegiate dining program in America, serving over 23,000 students on residential and commuter meal plans across a footprint that includes four main dining commons (Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin, Worcester), the Campus Center Blue Wall food court, more than 25 retail cafés and branded outlets, two mobile food trucks (babyBerk, babyBerk2), student-run cooperative businesses, and an award-winning on-site bake shop. The program has expanded beyond the flagship Amherst campus to the Charles River Campus in Newton, MA and operates the UMass Club, a private social club on Beacon Hill in Boston for alumni and friends of the UMass system.

The technology stack is conventional for institutional food service: a UMass Dining mobile app provides menus, locations, and hours, while point-of-sale accepts Meal Plans, Dining Dollars, UCard Debit, cash, and credit cards. No proprietary technology platforms, APIs, SDKs, or AI capabilities are disclosed. Operations are differentiated by an award-winning culinary team, extensive international and dietary-restriction menu coverage (kosher, halal, vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free), a registered-dietitian nutrition program, a sustainability and local-sourcing program, the No Student Goes Hungry food-security initiative, and an in-house catering department.

UMass Dining generates revenue across five streams: (1) recurring semester-based meal plan subscriptions, the largest stream, priced in tiered formats with meal swipes and dining dollars; (2) cash dining at $13.00 breakfast, $17.50 lunch, and $21.00 dinner in dining commons; (3) retail dining across branded concepts including Starbucks, Peet's Coffee, Argo Tea, Star Ginger, Wasabi, Tamales, The Grill, Green Fields, Yum! Bakery, Harvest Market, and others; (4) catering services for on- and off-campus events plus UMass Fresh Holiday Dinners to the general public; and (5) the Gifts From Home care package program. Marketing is multi-channel (Facebook, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, email, the mobile app, and on-campus events) and emphasizes Princeton Review Best Campus Food recognition.

Name

UMass Dining

Legal name

UMass Dining

Website

https://umassdining.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

UMass Dining is the in-house collegiate dining program of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, operating the largest campus dining program in America and serving over 23,000 students on meal plans across four dining commons, 30+ retail outlets, food trucks, catering, and the Gifts From Home care package service.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Campus Dining Services

NAICS

Restaurants and Other Eating Places (72251), Cafeterias, Grill Buffets, and Buffets (722514), Food Services and Drinking Places (722), Special Food Services (7223)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812)

akta.pro primary industry

Residential Dining & Meal Plans (EDALADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Retail Dining & Quick Service (On-Campus) (EDALADAB), Residential Dining Coordination & Meal Plan Integration (EDALACAK), Catering & Events Food Service (EDALADAC), Off-Campus Dining Partnerships & Delivery Programs (EDALADAO)

Keywords

• Campus dining services
• Collegiate meal plans
• Residential dining commons
• University food service
• Event catering services

Headquarters

HQ city

Amherst

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Meal Plans: Recurring revenue from student meal plans purchased at the beginning of each semester. Students select from various tiered meal plan options that provide a set number of meal swipes and dining dollars per semester.
2. Cash Dining: Point-of-sale revenue from cash, credit card, and UCard debit purchases at dining commons and retail locations. Prices range from $13.00 breakfast to $21.00 dinner at dining commons.
3. Catering Services: On-campus and off-campus catering services for events, including the UMass Fresh Holiday Dinners program serving both campus community and general public.
4. Gifts From Home: Care package program allowing parents and families to send customized food packages to students.
5. Retail Dining: Revenue from various retail café and restaurant locations across campus including coffee shops, fast-casual concepts, and branded food outlets.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

UMass Dining provides residential and retail dining services for the University of Massachusetts Amherst community. Its offering centers on tiered student meal plans redeemable across four dining commons and more than 25 retail cafés, supplemented by late-night dining, food trucks, student-run cooperative food businesses, the Gifts From Home care package program, and on-campus catering services. The program also extends to the Charles River Campus in Newton, MA and the UMass Club in Boston.

Product overview

UMass Dining is a comprehensive collegiate dining services provider operating America's largest collegiate dining program. The portfolio consists of five Dining Commons (Berkshire, Worcester, Hampshire, Franklin, and Grab 'N Go locations), over 25 retail dining locations including the Blue Wall food court, multiple food trucks, and student-run cooperative businesses. Core services include meal plans, catering, the Gifts From Home care package program, and the UMass Dining mobile application. Additional offerings encompass late-night dining, sustainability initiatives, nutrition counseling with registered dietitians, and the Food Security/No Student Goes Hungry Policy. The program is distinguished by its award-winning status, extensive international cuisine options, sustainability focus, and support for diverse dietary needs including kosher, vegetarian, vegan, and halal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Baby Berk: Food truck featuring burgers, BBQ, and quesadillas
• Harvest Market
• Blue Wall
• Yum! Bakery
• The Commonwealth Restaurant
• Gifts From Home

Products and services

• Meal Plans Tiered semester meal plans accepted at all dining commons and retail locations, providing UMass Amherst students with meal swipes and dining dollars for residential and à la carte use.
• Dining Commons Residential all-you-care-to-eat dining facilities (Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin, Worcester) with multiple stations serving UMass students, faculty, staff, and cash customers.
• Retail Dining Individual retail cafés, coffee shops, and fast-casual concepts located across campus serving students, faculty, staff, and visitors.
• Late Night Dining Extended-hours dining service operating until midnight at Worcester Commons and Berkshire Dining Commons to serve students studying late.
• Food Trucks Mobile food trucks (babyBerk and babyBerk 2) offering burgers, quesadillas, loaded tater tots, and rotating daily specials around campus and at athletic events.
• The Commonwealth Restaurant Upscale on-campus restaurant on the top floor of Worcester Commons offering a fresh, local, sustainable menu and full bar service for private events and dining.
• Catering Services Award-winning on-campus catering department providing food and beverage services for campus events, functions, and the UMass Fresh Holiday Dinners program.
• Gifts From Home Care package program allowing parents and families to send customized food packages to enrolled students.
• UMass Fresh Holiday Dinners Pre-cooked holiday meal service available to the UMass community and general public, delivered ready to heat and serve.
• UMass Dining Mobile App Mobile application providing access to dining menus, locations, hours, and information about UMass Dining services for students.
• Charles River Campus Dining Satellite dining services operated by UMass Dining at the Charles River Campus in Newton, MA, serving students, staff, and faculty of that location.
• The UMass Club Private social club for alumni, faculty, staff, and friends of the UMass system located on Beacon Hill in Boston.

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Food and Brand PartnerscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCollaborates with food brands and product partners for menu ideation, product testing, and limited time offers. Partnership programs include Menu Ideation & Product Testing, Nutritional Education with Registered Dietitians, Student Surveys, Special Events, and Sponsorships/Grants/Funding Opportunities. The program serves over 23,000 students on meal plans.
• Pete and Gerry's Organic EggsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured partner with promotional banner on the UMass Dining homepage, suggesting a marketing or product partnership for organic egg products.
• Peet's Coffee & TeacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPeet's Coffee & Tea, a San Francisco Bay Area based artisanal coffee roaster, operates a location in the Integrated Learning Center at UMass. Coffee is prepared in small batches with dark roasted beans for rich flavor.
• StarbuckscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorStarbucks coffee and specialty beverages available at ISB Café and Hampshire Café locations across campus.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Aramark: Major contract foodservice provider operating dining services at hundreds of U.S. universities and colleges. Directly comparable as a competitor for university dining contracts and operator of large-scale residential dining programs.
• Elior North America: International contract foodservice company with higher education and corporate dining operations. Competes for university dining contracts and operates comparable scale dining programs.

Direct peers

• Parkhurst Dining: Higher education and corporate dining services provider with a culinary-focused approach. Comparable to UMass Dining in scale and emphasis on food quality at college campuses.
• Bon Appétit Management Company: Specialized foodservice management company focused on universities, museums, and corporate cafes. Competes for higher education dining contracts with a reputation for culinary quality similar to UMass Dining.
• Compass Group (Chartwells Higher Education): Chartwells is the higher education dining division of Compass Group, one of the largest contract foodservice operators globally. Most direct competitor to UMass Dining in the university residential and retail dining space.
• UCLA Dining Services: Self-operated dining services at UCLA, operating multiple residential dining halls and retail locations serving a large student population. Comparable scale and in-house operating model.
• Cornell Dining: Self-operated university dining program at Cornell, widely recognized as one of the premier collegiate dining programs in the U.S. Direct functional peer operating residential dining, retail, catering, and meal plans at scale.
• Stanford Dining: Self-operated dining services at Stanford University, similarly focused on sustainability, dietary accommodations, and culinary quality. Comparable in-house university dining model with award recognition.
• Sodexo Education: Sodexo's education segment manages dining services at numerous universities and K-12 institutions. Direct competitor for university dining contracts with comparable scale of operation.

Emerging players

• AVI Foodsystems: Contract foodservice company serving universities, corporations, and healthcare facilities. Smaller scale than Aramark/Compass but operates university dining programs comparable in scope to UMass Dining.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UMassDining
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/umassdining
• Facebookfacebook.com/UMassDining
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/umassdining
• Instagraminstagram.com/umassdining
• TikTokvm.tiktok.com/J8ySTJt

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about UMass Dining