The semester’s underway, lecture halls are filling up, and dining halls are buzzing again. Students want comfort food that feels familiar but with just enough novelty to keep it exciting. These menu ideas put a fresh spin on the classics and are tailor-made for the high-volume pace of campus kitchens.

Mac Graduates

Mac and cheese is the ultimate study fuel, and students really perk up when it graduates from plain to loaded. How about buffalo chicken with blue cheese crumbles, roasted vegetables with pesto drizzle, or smoky pulled pork topped with a golden breadcrumb crust? Creamy, crunchy, and craveable, these combos earn straight A’s in flavor.

Lab Note: For big batches with a perfect golden top, the Shuttle 2000 makes quick work of pan after pan. Plus, it boasts a unique “double major”. Its design as both a conveyor and a closed-cavity oven, means it moves from bubbling trays of mac to high-throughput pizzas without missing a beat.

Pot Pie Goes Flat

Chicken pot pie is a natural for students hungry for a taste of home, but it’s not exactly quick-service friendly. Flatten the curve by transforming this homey favorite into a crisp flatbread layered with roasted chicken, veggies, and creamy sauce, finished with a sprinkle of herbs. It captures all the comfort of the original in a hand-held, campus-ready package.

Professor’s Pointer: The Conveyor 2600 bakes flatbreads evenly from edge to edge and moves smoothly through service during those peak dining hours.

Meatball Sub, Pizza Edition

Pizza is always popular, and a sub is the ultimate in portable grub when dashing across campus. But a pizza-inspired meatball sub? That’s a new spin that keeps the menu fresh and the student body satisfied. Load soft rolls with marinara, mozzarella, and hearty meatballs, then bake open until the cheese is perfectly melted and the tops are just crisp. Set it up as a station where students select their favorite pizza-style toppings, like peppers, onions, or extra cheese, for a bit of customization that moves this sandwich to the head of the class. It’s easy to eat on the run, satisfying, and guaranteed to get devoured before the bell rings.

Extra Credit: The Matchbox 1718 uses Precision Impingement to keep open-faced subs on point: cheese melts smoothly while the bread stays perfectly toasted for that ideal crunchy-melty balance.

Wings, No Fryer Required

Campus dining after dark means wings, but fryers slow service and add oil costs. Swap in oven-crisped wings tossed in rotating sauces: spicy honey sriracha one week, smoky BBQ the next. Students love the variety, and you’ll love the speed.

Wing Theory 101: The Shuttle 1600 proves you don’t need a fryer to master crispy wings. It delivers consistent, high-volume results and keeps late-night service manageable, even with a lean crew. A Fry Basket makes loading and unloading batches quick and clean.

Sweet Boosts

Skillet-style sweets like gooey cookie bars or s’mores squares are easy crowd-pleasers that make every study break even sweeter. Try s’mores remix with peanut butter cups in place of chocolate, or cookie bars loaded with pretzels or potato chips for an irresistible sweet-salty hit. They’re cut big, shareable, and the perfect midday treat or late-night pick-me-up to power through cram sessions.

Study Buddies: Bake desserts in a Detroit Style Pan for easy scaling, and rely on the MiLO Double to handle high volumes like a champ.

Comfort Food with Campus Energy

With the right twists, you don’t just fill plates: you deliver craveable favorites students look forward to sharing with friends, grabbing on the go, or indulging in after a grueling day of classes. Ovention ovens give you the capacity and control to keep those crowd-pleasers coming, even when the dining hall is packed—and help turn everyday dining into one of the highlights of student life.