Vegan Dining Hall At UNT Gaining Popularity

DENTON, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - A dining hall at the University of North Texas is redefining the way its students eat, and the effort is gaining popularity.

At the UNT Mean Greens dining hall, long gone are the days of pizza and chicken wings for breakfast, lunch and dinner for college students.

Chef Matthew Ward, the general manager at the Mean Greens dining hall, said the place is 100-percent vegan.

"We do not serve any animal products. So you will not get chicken, you will not get beef, you won't get milk or eggs in this cafeteria," said Ward.

Instead, all of the food is carefully sourced and made using vegetables and non-gluten ingredients. The hall even has a hydroponic garden where it grows its own greens.

The chef said the cafeteria currently feeds 1,600 students daily, which is proof of just how popular it's become.

"It's the first time I've not had to worry there's meat or anything on my food. Like, I feel safe eating it," one student said.

It's estimated that 80 to 85 percent of the students who dine there aren't even vegan or vegetarians. They just like the way the food tastes and the way it makes them feel.

"All this food is healthy. You've got the tofu. You've got the cauliflower. You've got the Brussel sprouts," another student said.

It's that kind of approval for the food that Chef Ward said will keep them busy cranking out more meals to fill the bellies of the college students.

"We take pride in what we do here on a daily basis," said Ward.