UB expands student dining options with opening of new $37.8 million facility

BUFFALO, N.Y. – The University at Buffalo has opened its newest campus hub and dining facility, as part of its “Heart of the Campus” plan.

One World Café, a three-story addition on the North Campus, offers a variety of international cuisine inside 55,000-square-feet designed to meet the growing student demand for more space to dine, gather and study on campus.

The $37.8 million investment is a significant addition to the student experience at the university and the fulfillment of a promise to add more international dining options on a campus with students from more than 100 countries.

The building, under construction since 2019, opened for use at the end of January, but food service officially began on Monday.

Senior leadership from UB and the Faculty Student Association on Thursday joined partners in the project to celebrate the opening.

“One World Café was truly a university-wide undertaking,” said UB President Satish K. Tripathi. “Every step of the way, our students, faculty, staff and alumni brought their ideas, their feedback and their creative energy to the spectacular space we celebrate today. As a result, One World Café reflects our identity as a scholarly community: our diverse perspectives, our global diversity and our unified commitment to excellence.”

The facility will sell an array of internationally-themed meals, snacks and drinks featuring five international food stations. The café opened this week with two stations: “Kali Orexi,” which serves Mediterranean fare and “Tikka Table,” which offers food from the different regions of India. The three other food stations — “The 1846 Grill,” “Pan Asian” and “The Noodle Pavilion” — would be phased in, most likely by the fall, as Campus Dining & Shops fills needed food-service positions.

One World Café has seating for 560 people and features tiered seating on the second-floor balcony, a large fireplace and an abundance of charging outlets throughout the bright, open space, which has quickly become a popular spot to gather on campus.

The project is part of UB’s Heart of the Campus initiative aimed at enhancing the student experience at the center of the North Campus and offering new opportunities for them to collaborate outside the classroom.

“One World Café not only offers new dining options, which our campus has been asking for, but it’s meant to be another attractive place for students to meet, study and socialize,” said Brian Hamluk, vice president for student life. “We are always trying to enhance the student experience at UB and One World does just that by creating a sense of community at the heart of campus.”

Through a series of focus groups, students, faculty and staff had the opportunity to provide input into the design and food selection. UB launched a naming contest in 2018 with One World Café as the winning entry submitted by Sayre Stowell, an aerospace engineering major, who graduated in 2019.

“UB’s One World Café is a shining example of what successes can be achieved by collaborative planning and student-centric focus,” said Laura Hubbard, vice president for finance and administration. “We are excited to open these doors to our diverse community.”

As part of UB’s commitment to operating an eco-friendly campus, the majority of items available at One World Café will be either in compostable or recyclable packaging, bringing the facility as close to zero-waste as possible. Items placed in “organics” bins throughout the facility will be processed into a renewable resource through anaerobic digestion.

Cannon Design served as architects for the project; Turner Construction Co. was the construction manager; and Manning Squires Hennig was the general contractor.

One World is just the latest dining facility on campus. UB also has three residential dining centers, 26 retail food locations, two food trucks and three residential convenience stores on campus.