The Hubbard Hall cafeteria was voted students' favorite cafeteria based on a recent poll conducted by the Residence Halls Association, or RHA.
Brody Hall came in second, and Akers Hall came in third.
"We think of ourselves more as a restaurant," said Larry Tarnowski, food service manager of Akers and Hubbard cafeterias. "The students are our customers."
Bruce Haskell, MSU's food service coordinator, said the Akers and Hubbard cafeterias go above and beyond university standards, and that MSU officials try to appeal to students.
"I appreciate any student feedback on what they like and what we can change for the future," Haskell said.
Hubbard's cafeteria has different stations set up within the dining room where students can get different types of food. Some dishes are made to order. The Epicenter was started about five years ago and features 10 different sandwiches made three different ways — panini grilled, baked and fresh, Tarnowski said.
Also in Hubbard, The Reactor Station features different made-to-order foods, and Euphoria is a dessert station that offers different baked goods and, occasionally, malts and shakes.
Labor relations and human resources graduate student Tanisha Newton said Hubbard's cafeteria is unique.
"Every caf has its own personality," Newton said. "(Hubbard cafeteria) has different events. That mixes it up so it's not the same every day."
Newton said she occasionally visits other cafeterias because they all have something different.
Open Oven, where students can get grinders and pizza, and Terra Salsa Verde, which features Central and South American foods, are among the Akers cafeteria's meal creation stations.
More students are beginning to eat in the Brody cafeteria, Haskell said. It features Lafayette Square, where students can get made-to-order pasta dishes, and The Nook, where students can get grilled made-to-order dishes.
All cafeterias on campus offer some type of creation station. Tarnowski said all cafeterias sometimes host special dinners with themed menus.
"We try to be creative," Tarnowski said. "We also look to see what's popular."
Tarnowski said the Akers and Hubbard cafeterias have the largest salad bars on campus for students who want to eat healthy.
He said Hubbard's cafeterias have more than 30 toppings for salads, including beans and tofu, and between 10 and 20 dry toppings.
But zoology senior Tony Yuhas said the main reason he eats in the Hubbard cafeteria is because it is convenient.
"There is not a whole lot of variety," Yuhas said. "They serve the same thing over and over."
Yuhas said the cafeteria would be better if they served healthier and fresher foods as opposed to reheated food.
"If there was more of a variety of other foods, that would be great," Yuhas said.
Haskell said food services in the cafeterias have come a long way.
"We have evolved our services in the 30 years I've been here," Haskell said, adding that in the past, students could not get second helpings and food was distributed in ready-made portions. "I am proud of every operation we have."
