Today's education institution kitchens are colorful and inviting, designed with curvature and stainless steel to compete with local restaurants, offering more variety and efficiency to the demanding health-conscious "Generation Me" consumer who is short on time and big on selection. In short, campus eateries are less "cafeteria" and more "cafe." Unlike their predecessors, these cafes imitate a mall food court and are in business for business' sake; multiple food stations include different ethnic cuisines and offer transparency. The food is made in front of the consumer, and the kitchen is in the middle of the space instead of being placed in the back of the house. These cafes have become meeting places where students gather to study and eat. They often close as late as midnight and open as early as 5 a.m., and some even service their students 24-7. To accommodate these new demands and still meet rising energy efficiency and operational budget requirements, cafeteria HVAC systems have gotten a facelift, too. With more efficient equipment and controls, the mechanical support for university kitchens now can meet comfort, safety, energy conservation and budget demands. Innovations in technology and engineering have transformed the challenges of yesterday's school kitchens into the solutions of today's sustainable and economical college cafes. This article presents the top five challenges and solutions to kitchen upgrades in education institutions.