Enhancing the on-campus experience, with ‘High Street’ quality experiences.

We all may have tried to erase the sordid memories from our consciousness of the types of food and beverage that we were exposed to during our days as University / TAFE students, but have you ever thought that perhaps our modern-day love affair with consuming all the finest things, may in fact have sprouted from these distant and not so pleasant memories.

The staple diet of two-minute noodles, instant coffee, cheap booze and fast food is synonymous with the psyche of being a University student on a tight budget, with limited resources, time or motivation to boot.

But are these stereotypes fading into oblivion, with priorities of students being reprogrammed with greater expectations relating to modern food and hospitality experiences, akin to what we are seeing more broadly across the industry?

Will Guidara, one of the owners of Eleven Madison Avenue in New York, has been quoted as saying that it’s “compassion and passion [that] gives a fantastic dining experience.”

As every successful restaurateur will tell you, passion is the reason that they started their venture in the first place. It’s what continues to drive their activities. But passion alone can only take you so far.

Jay Rayner, the UK food critic, has recently written that he, “does not regard the table primarily as a place of nutrition. That’s just something which, happily, comes with the territory. It’s a place of joy.”

Francis Loughran, founder and managing director of Future Food, foresees more beautiful cafes and restaurants in our malls and high streets as operators move beyond just food and focus on design-driven spaces and genuine customer service. Read Future Food's ten predictions for food, beverage and hospitality trends that will surface in 2018.