Appalachian State University Adds Vegan Dining Station, Doubles Sales 

New all-vegan food station Terra Verde at North Carolina’s Appalachian State University is generating double the sales of its predecessor, Healthy Select—which offered animal-based meals along with vegan and vegetarian options. At the beginning of this school year, the university made a move to focus specifically on healthier fare, including making meatless options more prominent on campus and transforming the food station to be completely vegan. “This is basically student-driven,” Pam Cline, director of dining at Appalachian State, told Food Management about the rationale for converting the station to all vegan. “We listen to our students and the feedback about what our students wanted to eat, [which is] things that don’t focus on meat as the center of the plate.” Terra Verde’s menu is designed around a five-week rotation that changes each semester, and everything is made in-house from whole-food ingredients. Among the items offered on its menu this semester are grain bowls, polenta cakes, and spinach and sweet potato enchiladas. Sourcing fresh produce for the dishes is made easier through Appalachian State’s College of Sustainable Development, which operates a working farm approximately 15 minutes away from the campus.