LYNCHBURG, Va. — Less than a year since its grand opening, Liberty University’s Reber-Thomas Dining Center won two gold awards this week in the National Association of College and University Food Services (NACUFS) 2024 Loyal E. Horton Dining Awards: New Facility of the Year and Residential Dining Facility of the Year. The state-of-the-art dining center is also in contention for the Grand Prize, to be announced at the NACUFS conference in July.

The NACUFS supports collegiate food service professionals by providing programs and resources on best practices, educational programming, professional networking, and more. The awards are the ultimate professional tribute in college and university culinary arts and celebrate exemplary menus, presentations, special event planning, and new dining concepts.

NACUFS presents the New Facility of the Year award every other year to an outstanding facility that opened within the previous two years; the Residential Dining Facility of the Year is awarded to an outstanding dining facility that encapsulates the spirit of enhancing the student experience.

The Reber-Thomas Dining Center opened its doors at the beginning of the Fall 2023 semester. Spanning 120,000 square feet over two stories, the facility can seat more than 2,700 with both indoor and outdoor seating. The center boasts 27 food stations, including an allergen-free room with delectable gluten-free baked goods.

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