Aramark at Kutztown University, Kutztown, Pa.

Chef-manager Ben Leffler uses a secret menu button on kiosk ordering in residential dining to add intrigue to his menu. Those who pushed the right button get rewarded with dry-rubbed pork and brisket, smoked eight hours with hickory wood, pickles, slaw, and Memphis barbecue sauce on Texas toast grilled cheese.

Cura Hospitality, Marion, Ind.

Since Indiana is one of the nation’s major pork-producing states, this sandwich features three types of pork: smoked pork butt, honey-cured ham and bacon with Swiss cheese, mustard and dill pickles.

Sodexo at Howard University

On the catering menu at Howard, this banh mi shows how simplicity can be succulent. It’s made with shaved pork belly, pickled cucumbers, cilantro, jalapeno and daikon radishes on a French baguette. This sandwich tells the story of French occupation in Vietnam, but you don’t need to understand the history to appreciate the punch of the flavors, rich and acidic in the same bite.

Youville Place Assisted Living

Chef James Pijewski brings Miami to Massachusetts with this Cubano. It hits all the right notes: housemade mustard, mojo marinated pork shoulder, oven-roasted pit ham, Swiss and pickles on Cuban bakery bread.  

Aramark at UMass Lowell

“Food trucks, street carts and small dives is where the inspiration for this extreme sandwich comes from,” says Aramark’s Nicholas Moreira, a self-described fan of “big, bold, over-the-top and extreme flavors.” Grilled ciabatta bread is topped with a slab of fried mac ‘n cheese then comes the layer of smoky pulled pork. Jalapeno poppers (wrapped in bacon, naturally) and housemade barbecue sauce are finishing touches.

Sodexo at Howard University

“Early in my career, I worked with a Korean chef named Sunay who taught me a lot about Korean cuisine,” says Paul Brown III, creator of this classic-done-right. “It is my personal favorite and go-to cuisine, as it’s very flavorful, utilizes fresh ingredients and the flavors are explosive to the palate.”

Aramark corporate account, Richmond, Va.

Inspired by the “picnic pork” of Italy, this sandwich combines pork in several ways and the results are showstopping. Porchetta—cured pork belly rolled with pork sausage, arugula and capicola ham—really shines as a sandwich on a French batard with lettuce tomato, crisped Gruyere, pesto and pickled black mustard seed aioli.

CulinArt at Stony Brook

The BLT is one dynamite combo that chefs love to riff on then re-initial. The “D” here is duck—confit duck—followed by peppered bacon, Roma tomato, hydroponically grown butter lettuce. The mayo component is cranberry aioli for a touch of fall flavor.

Chartwells at Texas State University

Ramen and pho are customer faves but can’t exactly be slurped on the go. So, the dining team came up with this: a ramen-style French dip sandwich that’s portable and features all the iconic ramen ingredients (minus the noodles). The components: local bread roll, nori mayo, choice of marinated protein (sliced pork, chicken thigh or fried tofu, all marinated for 24 hours) and ramen broth to dip. The version shown here is tofu—surprise!

Epicurean Group, Los Altos, Calif.

This unusual combo that has turned out to be a best-seller: watercress combined with dry-roasted cashews into pesto with smoked salt, applewood bacon, radish sprouts, rocket arugula and sundried tomatoes on sourdough.