New Food menus for new food destinations
Universities & Colleges:
Five Ways to Future-Proof Your Food Strategy for Gen Z
Five Ways to Future-Proof Your Food Strategy for Gen Z
Egg Soldiers food consultancy shines a light on Gen Z food strategy in the education sector, outlining five focus areas for development teams in 2026
Universities & Colleges
Strategic F&B vs Gen Z
Strategic F&B vs Gen Z
Gen Z food strategy is a hot topic for food teams, developers and decision makers across sectors. This youthful, disruptive demographic continues to grow in relevance, with the education sector really in the eye of the Gen Z storm.
With the youngest Gen Z now around 13 years old, universities and colleges still have plenty more years of catering to this specific demographic - one synonymous with broadening palettes and food needs across a wider range of occasions.
The Gen Z student wants more than just fuel between lectures - they want comfort, flexibility, relevance and value far beyond traditional day parts.
Food now plays a critical role in the wider student experience, tying into student engagement and community.
Not an easy puzzle to place for food teams in the education sector, especially considering the pressures of what is an increasingly unstable financial climate.
With that in mind, our expert team has whittled out five strategic focus areas to guide food and drink development in 2026 - highlighted with Gen Z needs, economic realities and operational streamlining in mind.
With the youngest Gen Z now around 13 years old, universities and colleges still have plenty more years of catering to this specific demographic - one synonymous with broadening palettes and food needs across a wider range of occasions.
The Gen Z student wants more than just fuel between lectures - they want comfort, flexibility, relevance and value far beyond traditional day parts.
Food now plays a critical role in the wider student experience, tying into student engagement and community.
Not an easy puzzle to place for food teams in the education sector, especially considering the pressures of what is an increasingly unstable financial climate.
With that in mind, our expert team has whittled out five strategic focus areas to guide food and drink development in 2026 - highlighted with Gen Z needs, economic realities and operational streamlining in mind.
1
Thinking Beyond Lunchtime:
Design for the Full Student Day
Design for the Full Student Day
Image: University of London
Traditional dayparts continue to lose relevance, with food moments and occasions increasingly the correct currency.
And, for Gen Z students, these food occasions come in many different shapes and sizes - from breakfast meetings, study snacks and group hangouts, to early dinners and solo revising over a coffee and pastry.
The university or college campus is an all-day space, and your food offering should reflect that.
As such, your menu and service model needs to flex across multiple occasions, such as:
And, for Gen Z students, these food occasions come in many different shapes and sizes - from breakfast meetings, study snacks and group hangouts, to early dinners and solo revising over a coffee and pastry.
The university or college campus is an all-day space, and your food offering should reflect that.
As such, your menu and service model needs to flex across multiple occasions, such as:
- Fast, handheld items for short breaks between lectures.
- Sit-down sharing plates for lunch with friends.
- Light bites that can be eaten on-the-go, in the library or at events.
- Evening options that feel indulgent but are still value-led.
2
Upgrade the Everyday — Without Losing Touch
Image: @deeneys
Comfort food is still king on campus - but Gen Z expect more from it.
A smash burger with a big personality. A recognisable wrap with a quality element. A cheese toastie that pushes that little bit beyond the basic.
The goal here isn’t to reinvent the wheel - it’s to elevate the familiar.
To start, it's about better or broader ingredients, creative flavours, regional (or global) inspiration and smart layering of textures.
A cheese toastie becomes something else with a tangy kimchi element. Loaded fries become signature moves with vibrant toppings, house sauces and social-worthy plating.
And with Gen Z, presentation is playing a bigger role than ever. We're talking about a generation shares their food visually - so how something looks can make or break perceived value.
A smash burger with a big personality. A recognisable wrap with a quality element. A cheese toastie that pushes that little bit beyond the basic.
The goal here isn’t to reinvent the wheel - it’s to elevate the familiar.
To start, it's about better or broader ingredients, creative flavours, regional (or global) inspiration and smart layering of textures.
A cheese toastie becomes something else with a tangy kimchi element. Loaded fries become signature moves with vibrant toppings, house sauces and social-worthy plating.
And with Gen Z, presentation is playing a bigger role than ever. We're talking about a generation shares their food visually - so how something looks can make or break perceived value.
University Food Strategy
Supporting the Journey
Supporting the Journey
With decades of creating and developing winning dishes and menus for industry-leading brands under our belts, Egg Soldiers knows a thing or two about the nitty-gritty of food strategy!
Every journey is different, and we're working every single day to bring hospitality visions to life across sectors.
So how does the Egg Soldiers approach work? What are the fundamentals of our food and menu strategy process?
Well, to give you an understanding of how we could approach optimising and creating a future-proofed food strategy, we've distilled our process into a FREE showcase featuring our operational audit and menu review process!
Every journey is different, and we're working every single day to bring hospitality visions to life across sectors.
So how does the Egg Soldiers approach work? What are the fundamentals of our food and menu strategy process?
Well, to give you an understanding of how we could approach optimising and creating a future-proofed food strategy, we've distilled our process into a FREE showcase featuring our operational audit and menu review process!
FREE DOWNLOAD - EGG SOLDIERS SHOWCASE:
Operational Audit & Menu Strategy
Discover our strategic process - applied to a 'client' seeking a full service solution!
3
Build a Balanced Menu:
Core, Crowd-Pleasers and Curveballs
Core, Crowd-Pleasers and Curveballs
A strong Gen Z food offer has range. Not just in flavours, but in familiarity.
Your menu should provide a blend of comfort, curiosity and cultural relevance - without overwhelming the operation or the customer.
One way of doing this effectively is by using a simple A-B-C framework. For example:
Your menu should provide a blend of comfort, curiosity and cultural relevance - without overwhelming the operation or the customer.
One way of doing this effectively is by using a simple A-B-C framework. For example:
- Category A: High-volume favourites like burgers, pizzas, loaded fries.
- Category B: Global flavours and cultural favourites - think rice bowls, wraps, baos, plant-based curries.
- Category C: Rotating specials, street-food inspired dishes, and limited-time offers.
4
Channel the Independent Vibe
Image: @nyu.eats
Your 'competition' isn’t other university and college food halls round the country. It’s the food halls down the road, the high street chains, and the local street food markets.
Gen Z students are exposed to curated, stylised, independent food everywhere — and they’re bringing those expectations back onto campus.
That doesn’t mean you need a dozen vendors. It means your spaces should feel curated.
Treat each outlet - even if you run them all - like its own brand. Give them distinct identities. Use signage, colour, packaging and tone of voice to create variety and personality.
Gen Z students are exposed to curated, stylised, independent food everywhere — and they’re bringing those expectations back onto campus.
That doesn’t mean you need a dozen vendors. It means your spaces should feel curated.
Treat each outlet - even if you run them all - like its own brand. Give them distinct identities. Use signage, colour, packaging and tone of voice to create variety and personality.
5
Keep It Simple, Smart and Scalable
Image: Goldwood
Creativity flourishes with the right structure.
And in high-volume, price-sensitive environments like universities and colleges, operational clarity is your launchpad.
Great Gen Z food offers don’t start and end with trends — you have to have the right systems:
This is where innovation happens — not by doing more, but by doing the basics brilliantly.
And in high-volume, price-sensitive environments like universities and colleges, operational clarity is your launchpad.
Great Gen Z food offers don’t start and end with trends — you have to have the right systems:
- Ingredients that cross-utilise across multiple dishes.
- Clear mise-en-place and portion controls.
- Minimal final assembly and smart holding methods.
- Training that’s image-based and role-specific.
This is where innovation happens — not by doing more, but by doing the basics brilliantly.
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