HHS

Ingredients: Shaved prime rib, roasted Hatch chiles, sauteed sweet onions, red and yellow peppers, pepper jack cheese, toasted hoagie roll

Why it’s special: Philadelphia meets Santa Fe in this chile-forward interpretation of the cheesesteak.

Aramark at Trinity Valley Community College

Ingredients: Sliced ham, salami, Swiss cheese, Cajun muffuletta mix (olives, pepperoncini, garlic, oil, seasoning)

Why it’s special: The muffuletta is one of N’Awlins’ many culinary signatures, and the flavors are obviously ready to party.

Duke Dining at Duke University

Ingredients: Beef, sauteed onions and mushrooms, chimi aioli, white cheddar, soft bun

Why it’s special: This version of a cheesesteak brings South American chimichurri to the mix, and it’s prepared in front of customers on Duke’s custom-built open wood fire pit. 

Aramark at Trinity University, San Antonio Texas

Ingredients: Salt-and-pepper pork, chipotle-guajillo mop sauce, fried avocado wedges, fire roasted poblano pepper, minced onion and cilantro, Oaxaca cheese, torta bun

Why it’s special: Created for the Game Day food truck, this tangy, porky sando has what it takes to grab attention on the road (we’re looking at you, fried avocado!)

Restaurant Associates

Ingredients: Crispy chicken breast, gochujang mayo, pickles, leaf lettuce, toasted Martin potato bun

Why it’s special: A best seller for more than a year, customers rave about how crispy, juicy and kicky this chicken sando is. 

Virginia Tech’s West End Market

Ingredients: Spicy fried chicken breast, chili crisp-lemongrass aioli, bacon and provolone cheese

Why it’s special: This is the most popular item in the dining hall, thanks to the depth of flavor, use of trendy ingredient/condiment chili crisp, and its name, which comes from a senior staff member with a spicy attitude.

Harvard Law School

Ingredients: Halal chicken breast, dill pickle brine, cornmeal-corn flour dredge, carrot-cabbage slaw, chipotle aioli

Why it’s special: Extra points for that pickle brine! For more than a year, this crispy sando has been a favorite with plenty of law students willing to argue the case.

SAGE Dining at Crofton House School

Ingredients: Shredded chicken, garlic-sauteed Swiss chard, shiitake-herb aioli, ciabatta bun

Why it’s special: Another brine for the win! Brining keeps the chicken tender and juicy while the shiitake aioli takes over in the umami department.

Boston College Dining Services

Ingredients: Fried chicken katsu cutlet, pickled cabbage, housemade tonkatsu sauce, thick-cut white bread (to mimic Japanese milk bread)

Why it’s special: Katsu sandwiches are Japan’s gift to the chicken sandwich world. This version was a group effort between the dining team and the student cultural group Japan Club of Boston College.

Epicurean Group at Abbott Diabetes, Alameda

Ingredients: Bitterballen (braised beef made into Dutch croquettes), gouda cheese, honey-dijon mayo, tomatoes from the Abbott Café garden, Dutch crunch bread

Why it’s special: How often do you see bitterballen? Not often enough, once you learn it’s a Dutch treat, popular in bars and street stands, that’s also a genius way to use a surplus of braised beef or stew. 

TouchPoint Support Services

Ingredients: Soppressata, Italian beef meatball, fontina cheese, pickled Calabrian pepper cream, red wine vinegar slaw, fresh mint, basil, arugula, toasted baguette

Why it’s special: This mashup seems so natural, yet we’ve never seen it before! And extra points for using Calabrian peppers, an up-and-coming trendy ingredient. 

UNC Health Care 

Ingredients: Roasted chicken, fried plantains, spicy jalapeno, cilantro-based Peruvian sauce, fresh avocado, toasted ciabatta roll

Why it’s special: In South America, this is a lunchtime staple, but it’s totally new for North Carolina. The fried plantains alone make this is a sando worth trying. 

Chartwells/Texas State Dining at Texas State University

Ingredients: Sliced jamon, arugula, fried avocados, garlic-tomato spread, baguette rubbed with fresh garlic and olive oil

Why it’s special: Authentic Spanish touches—grating fresh tomatoes, grilling bread until it’s crisp and that oh-so-buttery Spanish ham.

TouchPoint at Via Christi Saint Teresa Healthcare

Ingredients: Chicken breast, boneless pork chop, smoked ham, cumin, parsley, gouda cheese, sliced fresh tomato, lettuce, mayo, mustard, ketchup, baguette

Why it’s special: Puerto Rico’s answer to the Cuban sandwich, the three meats in this sandwich plus the condiments add up to unstoppable flavor in a baguette.

Aramark/Baylor Dining at Baylor University 

Ingredients: Hand-battered fried shrimp, fresh tomato, housemade vinaigrette coleslaw, Cajun aioli sauce, baguette

Why it’s special: When the dining team wanted to highlight Southern food, their minds wandered to New Orleans and this absolute icon of a coastal seafood sandwich.

Southeastern Louisiana University Dining Services/Aramark 

Ingredients: Flame-grilled Crescent City alligator sausage, local crawfish etouffee, Louisiana cheddar, housemade “wickedly spicy” pickles, Rouses po-boy bread

Why it’s special: Venture far into the bayou and you might find this Creole-inspired sammie. Each and every part is made in Louisiana!

Restaurant Associates/Compass Group

Ingredients: Maine lobster, Jersey tomatoes, locally baked NYC bread, applewood smoked bacon, Old Bay aioli

Why it’s special: The simplicity of this sandwich is belied by the richness of the lobster and that smoky bacon. And Old Bay seasoning is having a major moment on menus lately. If you haven’t tried it, New England up your menu soon. 

Aramark at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio

Ingredients: Lobster meat, sweet chili mayo, avocado, scallions, grilled lemon, crispy fennel, split-top roll

Why it’s special: Students can’t get enough of this twist on a traditional lobster roll, and it’s the details that make it so amazing. Crispy fennel? Grilled lemon? We’re hooked!

Aramark at Hardin-Simmons University

Ingredients: Fried cod filet, lettuce, tomato, red onion, white onion aoli, toasted bun

Why it’s special: Is this the year of the po’ boy? This sandwich keeps it classic and makes a splash at the same time.

Chartwells Higher Ed/Maverick Dining at The University of Texas at Arlington

Ingredients: Chicken-fried oyster mushroom, vegan cheese, “Ray Ray sauce” (vegan chile con queso), spicy garlic truffle aioli, sunflower sprouts, fried kelp pickles, soft bun

Why it’s special: Not only does it contain intriguing ingredients, it’s accompanied by local kombucha and an acai bowl. What a win for vegan sammies everywhere!

Compass Group at American Express/The Centurion Lounge Unit 32613

Ingredients: Carrot, eggplant, tahini, green onions, sesame seed

Why it’s special: Normally we wouldn’t include a hot dog on this list, but as you can see, this is truly a horse of a different color! Or should we say, dog. Plus, tahini is underrated as a flavor-powerhouse sandwich component. 

TouchPoint Support Services at Ascension St. Vincent’s Riverside

Ingredients: Soy-ginger marinated portobello mushroom, tofu pate, pickled carrots, mesclun greens, red cabbage, daikon radish, cilantro, English cucumber, shaved jalapeno

Why it’s special: The banh mi sandwich blueprint is ideal for putting portobello’s meaty nature to good use, along with that tofu pate. So smart and so vegan!

BU Dining at Boston University

Ingredients: Za’atar roasted cauliflower, vegan sriracha mayo, schug sauce

Why it’s special: This healthy, plant-powered wrap has major Middle Eastern flavor. Za’atar is a great spice blend to try if you like lemony, herby wow factor in a jar. 

Morrison Healthcare

Ingredients: Riced cauliflower, tri-color quinoa, parsley, lemon, oregano, fennel seeds, feta and parmesan cheese (for the falafel), pickled red onions, housemade tzatziki sauce, toasted pita

Why it’s special: Fast casual, plant forward and classically Greek, this sandwich redefines the reason falafel is so great for vegans, flexitarians, omnivores and everyone in between. 

Aramark/UVA Dine at University of Virginia

Ingredients: Purple sweet potatoes, shaved Edwards ham, pumpkin pie spice-dusted local apples, fresh mustard greens, quince mostarda spread

Why it’s special: The trippy purple color is courtesy of sweet potatoes grown at UVA’s own kitchen garden, known for sustainable practices and student education. Turning the classic country ham biscuit purple, then adding fall flavors and quince mostarda…magic!

Aramark Sports + Entertainment at Paycor Stadium, home of the Bengals

Ingredients: Flamin’ Hot Cool Ranch Doritos-breaded fried chicken, lettuce, tomato, jalapeno chow chow, Four Alarm cheddar, pickles, soft roll

Why it’s special: This is part of Aramark Sports + Entertainment’s latest innovation: Snack Hack, which turns cookies and chips into new menu items. Even if the game is boring, this sandwich won’t be!

UNC Dining at UNC Chapel Hill

Ingredients: Ground beef, hydroponic Second Hill Farm lettuce, Blue Ridge Apiaries honey, pickled red onions, pimento cheese, Cheshire Farms bacon

Why it’s special: North Carolina is the land of pimento cheese, and we’d love to visit!

TouchPoint Support Services

Ingredients: Calabrian meatball, giardiniera relish, balsamic caramelized onions, Dijon aioli, smoked provolone, herb focaccia 

Why it’s special: This LTO turns the meatball sub into something else entirely by smashing it together into a sort of Frankenstein of flavor!

TouchPoint Catered Living

Ingredients: Spicy fried chicken, shredded carrots, cilantro, ranch, pickled cucumbers, French bread

Why it’s special: When senior residents sampled this sandwich, they’d never tried anything like it, but they definitely wanted more!

Compass Group

Ingredients: Slow-smoked, braised pork shoulder, cotija cheese, pickled onions, jalapeno, cabbage, roll, spicy-smoky broth

Why it’s special: Drum roll please…the porky goodness of this sandwich paired with the white-hot trend of birria and the pickled acidic bite of veggies makes this a gem of a sandwich to dip and savor. Bravo!