The Impact of Trayless Dining Implementation on University Diners’ Satisfaction, Food Selection, Consumption, and Waste Behaviors

To evaluate the impact of trayless dining implementation on food selection, consumption, waste, and customer satisfaction, the authors used the quasi-experimental design to assess the attitudes and behaviors of on-campus diners at a university. Students dined as usual (i.e., with trays) while data were collected for one week and without trays for the second week. Digital photography and plate waste assessment of 329 trays evaluated participants’ food selection, consumption, and waste behaviors. Surveys were used to assess students’ attitudes and satisfaction with trayless dining (n = 73). An independent samples Mann–Whitney U test was utilized to analyze food selection, consumption, and waste differences. The result of the study revealed that the amount of food selected and consumed was reduced during trayless dining implementation. The total calories and fat content were lower during trayless dining implementation, and the participants reported reduced satiety. However, the data did not show significant food waste reduction but showed customer dissatisfaction and reluctance to change due to increased inconvenience. This study contributed to the existing literature by quantifying diners’ food selection, consumption, and waste amounts, revealing the positive impact of trayless dining on food selection and consumption. Additionally, the detailed methodology will allow future researchers to replicate a similar intervention.