On-campus dining at Brown is undeniably a frequently debated topic among students. In The Herald’s Opinions section, students have both argued that campus dining is too nice and not nearly nice enough. Dining halls have also been the center of arguments about sustainability, quality and cost.

But The Herald’s Data Desk found one thing consistent across the student body: the Sharpe Refectory is king of campus dining.

Brown’s campus is home to eight eateries: the Ratty, Verney-Woolley Dining Hall, Andrews Commons, Blue Room, the Campus Market — also known as Gourmet To Go — Ivy Room, Josiah’s and the School of Engineering Cafe. A Data Desk analysis of the dining activity of 171 students from fall 2025 found that students across all grade levels frequented the Ratty most often.

For Shane Vandevelde ’28, the Ratty is “all that (he) would ever want from a dining hall,” he said, noting its diverse, “dependable” options. Vandevalde added that the pasta bar station is especially reliable as “you can always have a good meal” and make it “exactly what you want.”

While he has not enjoyed every food item at the Ratty — specifically calling the jackfruit from the “Harvest” station “awful” — Vandevelde added that “at least one or two” of the options are always good.

Charlene Chen ’26 also said that her favorite dining hall on campus is the Ratty. She described the all-you-can-eat buffet style dining as “an ingredient household” where you can “do a lot” with whatever is present that day.

Yet for others, the appeal of the Ratty has decreased throughout their time at Brown. Gabriel Chen ’28 said that while it felt like the dining hall had “so much choice, so much food” during his freshman year, his opinion on the Ratty is “plummeting.”

“It’s just food for me now,” he said. “It’s just sustenance.”

Gabriel Chen said he thinks that the V-Dub is “slept upon” and is sometimes better than the Ratty. Charlene Chen, on the other hand, believes the opposite — calling the V-Dub, “the Ratty but worse.”

The locations of each dining hall have also played a large part in how often students visit. For Mason Napach ’28, his changing dining hall preferences have mainly been impacted by “what’s closest by.” This year, Napach is living in Perkins Hall, and he often finds himself visiting either Jo’s or the Ratty — two dining halls close to his dorm. While he notes that Verney-Woolley is similar to the Ratty in terms of food options, he said he rarely has an incentive to walk there.

Fiona Li ’28 often trekked to Andrews at the beginning of her freshman year, even though it was a long walk from her dorm at Keeney Quadrangle. But that tendency quickly decreased. “The longer you’re here, the more you just decide it’s not really worth it, and you just go to whatever’s closer to you,” she explained.

While some students’ preferences have changed throughout their time at Brown, others, like Charlene Chen, are a “creature of habit.” Ever since unlocking her love for the dining hall during her freshman year, Charlene Chen has been a consistent “Ratty defender.”

Students also noted that their dining hall habits were greatly influenced by the time of day. In the mornings, Li often finds herself at Blue Room or the SOE Cafe, while Gabriel Chen sometimes eats breakfast in V-Dub during the earlier hours of the day.

Li, who is “very much a night owl,” wishes that there were better options late at night. While Jo’s is open until 2 a.m., she noted that the late-night dining hall doesn’t have many healthy options to choose from — adding that she doesn’t want to eat “fries and burgers every single night.”

Gabriel Chen said he hopes to see more beef served in the dining halls, adding that “bringing back the Jo’s beef burger” would be “great.”

But Vandevelde — a transfer from the University of California, Los Angeles, where the dining halls have been ranked best in the United States — doesn’t have many complaints. To him, the Brown dining halls “compare very well to UCLA food,” and in terms of food quality, he claims that Brown “has the best to get.”

“I don’t think it can get much better,” Vandevelde said.