Liberty University’s Reber-Thomas Dining Center Takes NACUFS Gold

Liberty University's Reber-Thomas Dining Center has been awarded the prestigious New Facility of the Year Gold Award and Residential Dining Facility of the Year Gold Award by the National Association of College & University Food Services (NACUFS) for 2024. These recognitions are part of the esteemed Loyal E. Horton Dining Awards, which honor outstanding achievements in college and university culinary arts.

New Facility of the Year Award

The New Facility of the Year award is presented biennially to an exceptional facility that opened within the previous two years. Liberty University’s Reber-Thomas Dining Center, which opened in the fall semester of 2023, has set a new standard in dining excellence, innovation, and community impact.

Residential Dining Facility of the Year Award

The Residential Dining Facility of the Year award celebrates outstanding dining facilities that enhance the student experience. Facilities do not need to be new and can enter multiple years, with subsequent entries highlighting new aspects of the operation. Liberty University’s Reber-Thomas Dining Center has continually evolved to meet the needs of students, exemplifying innovation in menu offerings, technology improvements, and educational programming.

NACUFS Loyal E. Horton Dining Awards

Named after NACUFS founder and past president Loyal E. Horton, these awards celebrate exemplary menus, presentations, special event planning, and new dining concepts in college and university dining services. Winners are recognized at the National Conference, with entries displayed and grand prize winners celebrated during a special luncheon. Grand prize winners also receive recognition in Campus Dining Today®, the official NACUFS magazine.

Baskervill’s Architectural Achievement

Jay Woodburn, AIA, LEED AP, Principal at Baskervill, shared his excitement about the awards: “Baskervill is thrilled to see the new Reber-Thomas Dining Center be recognized with the 2024 New Facility of the Year award and the Residential Dining Facility of the Year award from NACUFS! The project goal was to create a space that feels welcoming and intimate while also efficiently feeding all the students on campus and giving them a new home to share meals."

He continued, "Using human-scale proportions and the familiar architectural style of the university, we were able to create pockets for different dining experiences throughout and allow for large spaces for gathering. This project was a fast-paced and collaborative effort, involving input from students, foodservice professionals, and university leadership to meet the needs of the entire campus community. It’s incredibly rewarding to see the dining Center bring people together, and the awards are wonderful recognition of this achievement.”

Sodexo’s Partnership and Achievements

Sodexo, the dining services provider for Liberty University, played a significant role in the success of the Reber-Thomas Dining Center. Shelby Burton, Marketing Manager at Sodexo, expressed her delight: “We’re thrilled to have the Reber-Thomas Dining Center receive gold awards in the categories of ‘New Facility of the Year’ and ‘Residential Dining Facility of the Year’ from NACUFS. Earning these awards is a reflection of the hard work and dedication of Sodexo in partnership with Liberty University to create not only an impressive state-of-the-art facility but one that also perpetuates thoughtful dining programming and fostering of community.”

Menu Highlights

Sarah Falls, Regional Chef, highlighted what makes the Reber-Thomas menu stand out: “I think the menus at Reber-Thomas stand out amongst other resident dining offers for a number of reasons. Our stations offer a wide variety of cuisines, and most of them put the power of customization into our customers’ hands. Our stations that don’t offer customization still offer observation of creation like preparing food in a wok or evo grill."

She continued, "There is an experience to be had which includes some amazing food and customer service from some loyal staff members like Richard, Latrena, Saul, and Joseph! We are consistently delivering well-thought-out food in an atmosphere that services and accommodates 10,000 students a day. We are always trying to bring in the next big trend, both in equipment and cuisine!”

District Manager's Perspective

Duke Davis, District Manager, shared his thoughts on the recognition: “Watching the new dining center be built from the ground up and spending a countless amount of time here to make sure it was done right, as well as the success we had this year between student feedback and satisfaction, has made being recognized bring me even more joy.”

On the biggest contributor to their success, Davis added, "Having a great working relationship with Baskervill and the architectural team was one of the biggest contributors to our success. They listened to us and brought us new ideas to consider with this facility's design and layout.”

Davis also acknowledged the key players involved: “The success of this new facility is the collaboration efforts of Liberty University and specifically Dan Deter VP of Planning and Construction, Louis Cambeletta VP of Auxiliary Services at Liberty University, Baskervill, Duke Davis District Manager for Sodexo, and the onsite construction company Whiting Turner.”

Vice President’s Reflections

Louis Cambeletta, Vice President of Auxiliary Services, reflected on the journey from conception to reality: “When we were in the design phase of this project, our vision was to create an experience for our students, faculty, staff, and guests like no other in the industry. We wanted a facility that we could host large events at, like our President’s Christmas Reception, while also providing world-class food and service consistently to our students every day. Just like with anything, when you design something on paper you never really know if you hit the mark until you open the doors and get into full operation mode. Well, I am so excited to say that this facility not only met our design and operations expectations, but it knocked them out of the park. We had an unbelievable first year open and have learned so much about how to get even more out of this facility in the future. I believe that year two will be even better.”

On the partnership with Sodexo, Cambeletta added, “This facility would not have had the success it had this year if not for the work that Sodexo as an operations team here on campus put into it. They had to come up to speed very quickly on a brand-new facility that is double the size of the one they had come from with new equipment and a new layout. We did some training ahead of time, but you just can’t simulate 3,000 guests coming in all at once. I am so proud of how the team adapted on the fly to all the cCenterenges they faced with this new facility. Liberty University is extremely fortunate to have them as a partner.”

Programming Excellence

Rachel Sanders, MPH, RD, discussed the motivation behind their programming: “I like to think that Liberty University's food allergy program helps us stand out to potential students that have specific needs and then helps us retain students in the dining program throughout their college years. Helping students with food allergies have a successful school year and feel included in special campus events or even random hangouts in the dining center is what it’s all about!”

Impact on Liberty University Campus

Since its grand opening in 2023, the Reber-Thomas Dining Center has significantly enhanced the campus dining experience:

• Customer counts increased by 31% over the 2022/2023 fiscal year.
• Doubling the number of turnstiles from 6 to 12 improved the flow of traffic, allowing for easier entry and exit.
• The average time to enter, get food, and find a place to sit decreased to 15 minutes, which is 10 minutes faster than previous years.

The beautiful design by Baskervill has not only attracted students and visitors to dine but has also provided a space for relaxation and community building.

About Liberty University

Liberty University, located in Lynchburg, Virginia, is one of the largest private, nonprofit universities in the nation. It offers over 700 programs of study from the certificate to the doctoral level. The Reber-Thomas Dining Center is a testament to Liberty's commitment to providing an exceptional student experience.

About NACUFS

The National Association of College & University Food Services (NACUFS) supports the college and university foodservice market by providing its members with the programs and resources they need to excel.