The Kletz Snack Bar at Hope College received recognition this summer in the annual Loyal E. Horton Dining Awards Contest of the National Association of College & University Food Services (NACUFS).
The Kletz received the "Bronze" award in the "Retail Sales - Single Stand-Alone Concept/Outlet" category of the competition. Hope was the only institution honored in the category's "Small School" division; the other honorees were in the "Medium School" and "Large School" divisions.
The winning programs were all honored during the association's national convention on Saturday, July 14, in Seattle, Wash.
The award recognizes the Kletz for overall excellence in operation. Located on the ground level of the DeWitt Center, the Kletz operates throughout the school year as well as with reduced hours during college breaks, offering meals as well as varied other fare to the campus community as well as the public. The Kletz operates in addition to the dining service that is geared toward students in Cook and Phelps halls.
Open to all institutional members of NACUFS, the contest features seven categories: "Residence Hall Dining - Theme Dinner," Residence Hall Dining - Single Stand-Alone Concept/Outlet," "Residence Hall Dining - Multiple Concepts/Outlets," "Catering - Standard Menu," "Catering - Special Event," "Retail Sales - Single Stand-Alone Concept/Outlet" and "Retail Sales - Multiple Concepts/Outlets."
Competing schools are considered in three divisions based on size - small, medium or large - with Gold, Silver and Bronze honorees named in each division. A grand prize winner is named from the Gold award winners in the small, medium and large classifications.
The contest was designed to promote creativity and sound nutrition in the areas of food presentation, menu variety and merchandising. The event is named for Loyal E. Horton, a former NACUFS president and founding member of the association.
NACUFS is the trade association for food service professionals at nearly 650 institutions of higher education in the United States, Canada and abroad, and was founded in 1958. The mission of NACUFS is to promote the highest quality of food service on school, college and university campuses by providing members with educational and training opportunities, technical assistance, scholarships, industry information and research.