Envision Strategies partnered with VCU Business Services and an architectural team to develop a comprehensive Dining Master Plan focused on aligning future dining facilities, operations, and meal plans with the University’s long‑term enrollment and housing growth. The assessment revealed opportunities to strengthen the residential dining experience, rebalance a heavily retail‑leaning portfolio, and increase variety, authenticity, and value across offerings. It also highlighted the need to simplify and rebalance meal plans, improve utilization of all‑you‑care‑to‑eat dining, refine the mix of franchised and self‑branded concepts, and modernize aging infrastructure to better support program goals. The resulting plan established a strategic framework emphasizing community‑building through dining, thoughtful distribution of venues across campus, integration of technology to enhance convenience, and a phased facilities approach to support a more sustainable, engaging, and student‑centered dining program aligned with VCU’s broader ONE VCU vision.

This project was selected as the 2025 Foodservice Consultant Society International Project Showcase.

Watch our Thought Leaders In Foodservice interview with Rob and Stephen Barr