Best on-campus food
Kent State students wait for their orders to be filled at Rosie’s Diner and Market March 15, 2023. Rosie’s Diner is located on the first floor of Tri-Towers.
April 7, 2023
FIRST: Rosie’s Diner and Market
For students hungry for a breakfast sandwich and yogurt at 7:30 p.m. or pizza and fries at midnight Rosie’s Diner offers it all – for 14 hours a day.
The diner, located in the Tri-Towers Rotunda, is open from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. every day. Pizza, chicken tenders, mozzarella sticks and hummus wraps are a few items on its menu, as well as all-day breakfast choices. All options are made to order.
“I have never had a bad time eating at Rosie’s,” junior digital media production major Chris Wilder said.
Rosie’s Diner accepts FlashCard and credit card payment. Students with meal plans can use meal exchange for an entree, side and drink three times a day.
Wilder said he thinks the diner’s simple menu items keep the quality of the food as best as possible.
“They are usually really fast, and that chicken tender meal exchange is a great way to end a long night,” Wilder said.
SECOND: Einstein Bros. Bagels
Einstein Bros. Bagels in the Student Center offer bagel sandwiches, smoothies and coffee. It sells fresh-baked plain, blueberry and everything bagels along with their signature cinnamon sugar and asiago cheese options.
It is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Saturday 8:30 a.m to 3 p.m.
dining option is located in the Student Center. (Matthew Brown)
Diane Johnson, senior manager of University Culinary Services, expresses her involvement with Einstein’s.
“We start early, I am down there around quarter to four every morning, and everything is fresh to bake that day,” Johnson said. “All the bagels are baked about every two hours.”
Johnson said her team focuses on the quality of each food item’s quality.
“Our entire menu is made to order,” she said. “We focus on the quality, whether that is with our bagels, sandwiches, drinks or even our fruits. We take a lot of time with our prep work, that is why we start very early every morning.”
THIRD: Hippie Chick’n
With a simple menu, Hippie Chick’n offers fried chicken options Monday through Saturday in the Student Center.
Christian Booher, general manager of University Culinary Services, said he focuses heavily on the day-to-day experiences at Hippie Chick’n.
“We fry chicken and fries all day long, and we prepare non-stop throughout the day,” he said.
The lunch and dinner spot, which works with student’s meal plans through meal exchange, accepts FlashCard and credit card.
They are open Monday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Between 700 to 800 people stop in each day, and the business sees its most customers between noon and 2 p.m., Booher said.
Booher said the most popular meal is its three-piece combo, which contains three chicken strips, a fountain drink and a choice of fries or potato salad for meal-exchange users.
Other options include spicy chicken fingers, a regular or spicy chicken sandwich and a new chicken bowl.
“The best value item has to be the chicken bowl, which comes with mashed potatoes, chicken, gravy, cheese and corn only through declining balance for under $7,” he said.
Tyler Pyles is a reporter. Contact him at [email protected].
