Categories — such as proximity, taste, variety and environment — were some of the most cited criteria.

“I know everyone has their own opinions and favorite (cafeterias),” University Housing Director Angela Brown said. “That’s always going to be the case.”

Brown said the results from student focus groups aided in the renovations to Snyder-Phillips’ cafeteria — better known as The Gallery — as well as future renovation plans for all the residence hall dining rooms.

“We’ll have a better sense of what to do when (planning is) finalized,” Brown said. “The general goal is to consolidate or renovate our dining resources to create a variety of types of dining experiences all around campus.”

But for now, the cream rises to the top.

And the No. 1 dining hall is Snyder-Phillips

The Gallery at Snyder-Phillips is the one place on campus that makes paying more than $2,000 per semester for a meal plan worth the money.

With six unique stations offering multiple meals, it’s hard to leave hungry.

During this dinner, a more adventurous student could try anything from zucchini strudel to chicken pesto — and hamburgers, hot dogs and pizza were on the menu for those with more traditional tastes.

“It’s the best cafeteria on campus,” said finance freshman Sanat Joshi, a Hubbard Hall resident who made the trip to Snyder-Phillips with two of his dormmates.

“It’s like a food court environment … there’s so many different stations,” he said. “There’s so much variety. The basics are here, like in every single cafeteria, but there’s more variety of every specific category. They go in-depth with each food item.”

But while the basics can be found at each cafeteria, the food here tasted better. The fries were crisp, the hamburgers tasted like meat instead of rubber and the pasta was as good as you’ll find at any restaurant in East Lansing.

Joshi agreed the food was good but didn’t know if it was just the perception.

“I feel like it’s a lot cleaner here. That’s why it tastes better to me,” he said. “They probably have the same food in every cafeteria, but because it’s cleaner it makes me think it tastes better.”

Psychology freshman Siely Nikam, also a Hubbard Hall resident, said the cafeteria had the best dining environment.

“It’s more upbeat,” Nikam said. “(At Hubbard) it gets really boring, the environment is really quiet. You just kind of go and eat. Nobody wants to go to dinner and be bored — it’s kind of a social thing.”

The one downside to Snyder-Phillips is the lines.

At 5 p.m., fairly early for dinner, there were 10- to 15-minute lines for the specialty pasta and chicken pesto.

But, overall, that’s a small price to pay for the quality of food.

If you don’t have the extra time, a safe bet is Shaw Hall

Right in the center of campus, Shaw Hall is the perfect spot to grab a meal in between classes.

The food selection is almost as varied as Snyder-Phillips, and although the quality might not be quite the same, it’s not a bad alternative.

The main dishes for dinner this particular night were roast beef, fajitas and orange barbecue chicken.

For vegetarians, apple crepes and cheese tortellini also were available on the main line, or students could tackle vegetarian stromboli or grilled portabella mushrooms.

A little A1 Steak Sauce was needed to spice the beef, but aside from that, everything else tasted top-notch.

Bryce Harrell, a construction management senior who’s worked in Shaw for three years, said he’s always enjoyed the food choices.

“The selection is usually pretty good,” Harrell said. “Sometimes it gets a little repetitive, doing nacho bars and stuff like that all the time, but it really isn’t bad at all.”

Harrell said he’s heard students express disgust with the cafeterias, but he hasn’t found that to be the reality.

“It all tastes good,” he said. “Everybody claims it’s garbage food, but once you move off campus, what are you going to be eating? Ramen noodles, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and stuff like that? I mean, this is probably going to be the best food you’ll get in your college career.”

Hubbard Hall

Students on the east side of campus are still in luck with Hubbard and Akers halls. Hubbard Hall’s salad bar is one of the most elaborate on campus, with more vegetable choices and other assorted toppings than most.

For main dishes during this lunch period, cheeseburgers, turkey tetrazzini and pizza margheritas were the main offerings. Fresh sandwiches and made-to-order omelets were available at side stations.

Fisheries and wildlife senior Mark Iadonisi said he’d rather eat at Hubbard than Snyder-Phillips because he’s more comfortable there.

“If Snyder-Phillips was close and not as crowded, I might eat there more often,” he said. “I just like the set-up better. I know the options.”

Although Iadonisi said he preferred a sandwich or a salad to the greasier selections on the main lines, his dining partner Kelsey Gonzales, a journalism sophomore, said that’s how it has to be.

“People always complain there’s too much fried food, but they eat it anyway,” Gonzales said. “They have to pick stuff (to serve) that’s kind of cheap, relatively. But, at the same time, we pay $2,000 to eat here. So yeah, maybe they can make it more varied.”

Brody Complex

Brody Hall just missed out on being in the top three — mainly because of excessive wait times.

No matter how small the lines are, you’re normally going to have to wait at least a few minutes for service — nothing, besides the salad bars, is self-serve.

And by the time you wait 10 minutes for a quesadilla or a grinder, you’ve already wasted a lot of time. And what college student has time to waste?

The waiting is what aggravated communicative sciences and disorders senior Christine Sheffler.

“Because Brody’s so big they have to do quantity over quality here,” Sheffler said. “But it doesn’t mean it goes any faster.”

It wasn’t waiting as much as it was selection for premedical freshman Firusa Torna, who said the food preparation could use some work.

“There’s a lot of days where I can’t even get any decent meat, because everything’s just a little weird, or too seasoned, so I can’t eat it,” Torna said.

Landon Hall

Landon Hall’s cafeteria is lower on the list because of a limited selection, but it’s the best spot on campus for students who indulge in organic foods.

There’s always a table during meals with a full selection of organic foods grown by Student Organic Farm members, along with a card explaining how and where the item was grown.

“It’s nice to have all the organic and fresh foods for salads and sandwiches,” retailing freshman Meaghan Dalton said.

“I wish they had more low-fat, nonfat options.”

For those students who’d rather have a lot of choices, however, there’s not much of a variety.

There were only two lines available, and although the baked spaghetti and biscuits looked mildly appealing, sandwiches seemed to be the better option.

Retailing freshman Ashley Rock agreed with Dalton on the selection, but said she liked the size.

“It’s smaller and quieter than all of the other places. You know a lot of the people, so it has a community feel,” Rock said.

Holden Hall

South Complex has one of the poorer reputations on campus for cafeteria food, but it’s not that bad — you just have to be a big fan of chicken wings or nuggets and french fries.

There are healthier options available, but Holden Hall doesn’t go out of its way to promote them, which is why it’s at the bottom of the list.

“They’ve had the same food here for four years,” said communication senior Andra Kubulins, a four-year Holden Hall resident.

Kubulins said it’s gotten better in the recent years, especially with the additions of the sandwich station, a staple in most of the cafeterias now.

She also likes the size of the cafeteria compared with Landon and others.

“I don’t like the tiny rooms where you feel cramped,” Kubulins said.

Unfortunately, Holden Hall is one of the best choices in South Complex. For students looking to make more of their money, heading north or east when the dinner bell rings might be a smart choice.