So, is this a review of the school itself or the food that they serve? Given that college ratings are much better handled by U.S. News & World Report, I'll simply assess the food. I was actually a student on Bon Appetite's (the dining services company that Wheaton contracts out to) "Cuisine Team" assessment board, so I was able to get good information on the food they serve there. :-)
Ok, here's the deal. Wheaton College was rated #1 in campus food by the Princeton Review for 2011, and yes, the food really is THAT good. My eating experience at Wheaton opened my eyes to the fact that you can have food that is both absolutely delicious and good for you. It's because of Bon Appetite that I went from eating packaged foods to whole-grain only.
I severely miss my meal plan -- I don't know where else I could possibly get such high quality food at such a value. If you're not a student, the prices can be on the high side, but check online for their meal menus, and ask a student whether a certain meal is worth paying. In other words, dinners may always cost $10+, but not all dinner meals are worth the cost. HINT: The meals tend to be better during orientation, family weekend, homecoming, Artists' Series events, and other special events.
One of the most amazing services provided by Bon Appetit is the ability to eat well despite dietary restrictions. They consistently have vegetarian, celiac-friendly, and lactose-free foods to choose from. The celiac-friendly foods will even be specially prepared for you if you ask.
Bon Appetit also makes it a point to be environmentally friendly in their choice of food. They buy local and/or organic food when they can (my favorite is the local honey and the local watercress), all the seafood they serve is responsibly fished, and the meat and poultry they serve are almost always antibiotic-free and grass fed (for beef). They also believe strongly against high fructose corn syrup, artificial preservatives, and frozen food. They make all their food fresh that day -- including their applesauce (yes, homemade applesauce).
I once asked the head chef why they don't serve chicken tenders as much, and he replied that it's a pain to serve them because it's so labor-intensive to prepare. Why? Because Bon Appetite refuses to buy frozen chicken tenders. So, what do they do? They have their kitchen staff cut, cook, and bread each chicken tender individually. Wow.
Their desserts are always to die for. Especially check out their carrot cake and local soft serve ice cream. REALLY good traditional ice cream can be bought downstairs at Sam's cafe.
This review is getting to be way too long, but I'll end with the encouragement to look out for those specialty meals that only come every so often, including freshly made sushi, goat cheese and apple pizza, and steak-and-shrimp nights. read more