This qualitative research study explores how recent graduates perceive the influence their on-campus food service job had on their critical thinking development. This study seeks to answer two research questions. The first research question -- "what factors were associated with students choosing to work in food service for multiple years?" -- focused on finding out why the graduates continued to work in their food service position. All the participants were not planning to have a career in the industry, so this question looked at why they stayed instead of going into something in their future career field. The second question in this study asked -- "how do recent (1-5 years) graduates perceive their past on-campus employment contributed to their development of critical thinking?" Six recently graduated students were each interviewed two times. The students interviewed were able to articulate examples of where their food service positions helped them develop and demonstrate critical thinking skills. While the levels of development varied among participants, there was a perceived benefit to working in food service while in college. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]