Student Reviews

• Elise v

  I am not sure how Kent got this rating? I went here for undergrad and 10 years ago and I am now back for graduate school. Kent has NEVER been vegan friendly. In fact in undergrad I was a vegetarian as a freshman and sophomore and even that was difficult to find options for. When I went vegan my Jr year it was impossible to find food beyond some fruit and a salad bar in one dining hall (no dressing) even if I got coffee on campus my only option was black. A decade later the only thing that has improved is the on campus STARBUCKS has vegan coffee options ya know like Starbucks generally, has that’s it. Please change this rating, kids coming in at 18 don’t have a lot of off campus options even the ones that have cars have to park them at the stadium 2 miles from dorms that you have to take a bus to. So, unless they can afford to get DoorDash every meal (which if they are going here is probably not the case) they are stuck with little to no food options when they expected to have them. Your misleading review puts kids in a tough spot they didn’t expect to be in; if nothing else it puts them in a situation where they are either eating less than they need or stop being vegan.

• Gabrielle

  If your opinion on a good meal is tomatoe sauce and rice kent state university may be for you. To give context, over the last few years one by one kent has been closing down all their food options including a vegan and gluten free friendly place (prentice) and since switching from their recent food supplier they stopped caring about feeding vegans even though they advertise to care. I mean how much do u care when your food is inedibly salty and unnuitrious. On a given day you will be served rice and beans and either overcooked brocoli (90%) or cauliflower. Sometimes it is a potato masala as well. But honestly it is just a bunch of carbs. It is too the point that this year I know several people that got out of their meal plans and resident living because they just are not serving edible or nutrious food. The comment below about the mislabeled ‘vegan’ burger is absolutely right they serve morning star black bean burgers and ‘forget’ to add that it contains milk and dairy. And if you are thinking maybe you could eat at the salad bar the produce is BAD, so unless you perfer your lettuce wilted just don’t bother. I am super disapointed with this years options. They stopped serving any baked goods, but that might be because they no longer baked them. Bakers can be seen chopping up store bought items. I wish it was better for vegetarians but for them it is either the vegan station or pizza everyday. Not much better. Kent also always says on their menu online that they serve different fake meats like incogmeato burgers and sausage patties, however I have only seen the sausage patties once. So in conclusion, if you are vegan do not choose kent. They do not care about the nuitrition you are getting, they don’t care if you get breakfast, and the only time they try is if the school’s donors are coming to tour. Pick another school.

• Gabrielle

  UPDATE FALL 2021: They have switched to a self operating kitchen instead of using Aramark and their priorities have changed. The vegan station has turned into a gluten free station. They do not serve all meals vegans are not served breakfast. They no longer sell baked goods our have egg or mayo replacement. They offer vegan milk at an unoccupied station if you can flag someone down. They no longer clearly mark ingredients in things. I am currently been ‘pulling dining services hair’ to actually start serving every meal and meals that change each meal, but they haven’t been cooperative. Honestly if they were scored now they would get a generous 2/10. In the past I would have told you to consider Kent because the food, they offered vegan pancakes, waffles, crab cakes, and beet burgers; however, it looks like they aren’t going to change. If you are going between schools pick the other one, they will have similar options. I will update it if anything changes…I guess.

• Jan

  Only certain places on campus even resemble a good vegan place to eat. Most of the time, when Dining Services comes up with something vegan, it’s just a bunch of roasted veggies – which is good, but rather bland in comparison, and lacking in protein. The only part of Dining Services that is relatively ahead of the pack is their food truck, Fork in the Road – and they’ve already eliminated some really good vegan choices. The Summit Street Cafe, which used to offer nondairy milks (soy and almond) for sale, now only offers it as a milk choice in the smoothies they sell. At luncheons for staff, Dining Services offers vegan choices if it is sit-down meal, but when they have a buffet or box lunches, it is incredibly difficult for them to confirm that there is no egg or dairy in items offered. There are a few outside restaurants with space in the hub that offer vegan meals – like Grazers. Dining Services could really do a good job with vegan meals if they really worked at it, but currently they don’t really try. Overall, I wouldn’t rate them more than 35% satisfaction.

• Emma

  It is sad to see the Kent State is so highly rated for being vegan-friendly when it really isn’t. It is very hard to get vegan-friendly/allergen friendly food in the dining halls. They do have a call in service that has strange, inconvenient hours and a very limited menu. I love Kent State but, I wish they were more accessible ways of getting vegan-friendly food.

• Jan Rader

  I’ve finished my degrees here, but I do work here every day. I have had a few vegan items here that were really good, but they were generally a sample at a wellness fair or something not normally on the menu. The dining venue in the building where I work has three vegan options – good, but tiresome (and two are not really meals: one is lots of bread with some hummus and the other is a fruit cup). I do have to say that, on my suggestion, they finally are selling soy and almond milk. But anyplace else I’ve been on campus, when I tell them I want something vegan, they have to think about it to come up with something, and usually it’s something like a plate of roasted vegetables, which is just, well, a plate of roasted vegetables. I will say that the food truck came up with the best thing on the spur of the moment, but again, not something normally on their menu. There have been many, many times they will have a number of vegetarian items, but when I ask, they either have milk (why not use soy or almond or rice milk?) or eggs (why not use one of the dozens of egg replacers?) in the ingredients. I would like to know where these vegan options – entrees, desserts, etc. – the university has listed are located on campus, especially where is the all-vegan station? I would likely be there a lot!

• Kaitlyn Krepps

  I was excited to go to Kent state because I heard how vegan friendly they are and I am extremely disappointed that that’s not true. They have a small section in each market that has vegetarian and vegan food, but about 80% of it is vegetarian. They rarely serve vegan food at the dining locations, with the exception of the salad bars. They have also labeled multiple items as vegan and vegetarian that had meat in it. For example I bought a cup of “Vegan Three Bean Chili” and it had sausage in it, and I bought a “Vegetarian Stuffed Pepper” and it had beef in it. Kent State isn’t anymore vegan friendly than most universities.

• Mike

  They do have areas with vegan specialties. It’s not an across the board effort. There are dinning halls which you can make you food vegan as with any eating establishment (aka a wrap with no meat or cheese). I don’t just want a salad or fruit cup.

• Sierra Adams

  There is nothing vegan but salads and some indian and chinese food.
  they label things as vegan that has milk and egg in it all the time. The first time I thought it was just a mistake, but.

• Kara

  I work for Dining Services on Kent’s campus. I know for fact that our location does not offer vegan friendly food at every meal. We are lucky to serve something vegan friendly twice a week. We sell vegan friendly items in our small store, however we do not have an all-vegan station to offer hot food/meals to students. We have zero vegan desserts. We have zero nondairy milk.

• Jan

  Kent State is vegan-friendly – to a point. There are pockets on campus where you can get some awesome vegan choices. And Dining Services does know how to make some really good dishes. But the problem is they don’t do so for every event – some events they have some really good stir-fries and combination dishes, and at other events, you just get a wrap with a bunch of lettuce, tomato and pepper in it. Also, their venues on campus aren’t consistent. At Eastway and at the little deli/cafeteria on Student Center first floor, there have been some really good things. But at the Summit Street Cafe in the rec center, you have to tell them how to make a simple wrap that’s got more substance than lettuce – that is if they happen to have a variety of ingredients on hand that day! Oh well, at least they make an effort sometimes.

• Christopher Barton

  KSU is wonderful with variety and choices for anything you may want in your meal.

• Jenn Jones

  Kent State is not that vegan friendly. Most of the votes have been aquired through the members of dining services going around with an ipad and asking employees to vote before they leave work. Most of the people voting probably dont even know what vegan means. These “vegan options” are few and far between and so poorly advertised that a 2 year vegan at Kent State (me) hasnt heard of most of them. I do not consider salads and indian food vegan friendly. Not only is the KSU dining services page lacking info and help to students searching for info, but they have been passing a morning star black bean burger with egg in it off as vegan. I was approached to vote by this man soliciting from my school and I said no and gave my reasons, his response, “vote anyway”. That is not what veganism is about.

• Wesley Frampton

  Kent State makes being a vegan on campus as easy as possible. With a plethora of tasty vegan food on campus, it’s reassuring to know a college so big cares so much about my dietary choices.

• Sadar Muhammad

  As a fellow Vegan attending Kent State University I am more than pleased with the vegan options available on campus. Kent State is known for being very liberal, but I didn’t think the vegan/vegetarian culture would thrive so much in a Ohio school like it does in Kent. I’m almost certain I would’ve never chosen to go vegan for life if I didn’t attend Kent State University. Not to mention the vegan food on campus is actually super healthy as well.

• Jami

  Good

• Aashka

  I really love the vegan food on campus and there are so many options i am so happy!!!!

• B Fitz

  Made fresh to order and has a ton of selections! Love eating the vegan options because they are always fresh and delicious. Dunno what other colleges offers a vegan menu that hasn’t had the same food sitting out all day

• Breanna Greenway

  I LOVE LOVE LOVE that Kent State University has made vegan options available on all campus’s!!!!!!! I was literally shocked when I walked into the book store and saw a basket of vegan cookies on the counter! It is very hard to always find Vegan options when you are out to eat, but I don’t feel like that on campus. At the Kent Trumbull branch, the staff at the kitchen worked with me to help make a wrap with no meat cheese or any other disgusting and cruel animal products or by-products! 5 STARS KENT STATE

• Laura Frear

  As a Vegan college student I am very happy with all of the options that Kent State University has for me. It makes my time here much more enjoyable and most importantly, cruelty free!

• Sadar Muhammad

  There are lots of vegan options here at Kent State University here in Ohio. This is a very liberal university that is one on the most Veg friendly places I have ever been. If it wasn’t for Kent State University, I would probably of never went Vegan. Veganism changed my life forever and it will change many more lives on my college campus and around the rest of the world as well. Knowledge is power.

  • Jan Rader

    Hi Sadar,
    First, liberal and vegan don’t necessarily have anything to do with each other, and second, having grown up in places like the San Francisco area, I can tell you that Kent State is closer to middle-of-the-road than liberal. But I’d love to know where you are getting the good vegan food on campus because the most of the places (not quite all) I’ve been around within the university really have little idea of what constitutes a good vegan entrée – it’s usually either salad or roasted vegetables. Thanks!