Introduction
2023 was the fifth year of the U Choose Awards. This data was collected during the 2022-2023 school year.
We ran our study through the three-phase plan outlined under the “U Choose Awards” section of our About Us page. If you have any further questions about our study, please review our FAQ to see if your question can be answered there. If it is not, please go to the contact form on our Contact Us page and we will get back to you with an answer.
REsults
| GOLD | SILVER | |
| Best Pizza | Sky Pizza | Graffiti Pizza |
| Best Sandwich Place | Chick-Fil-A | Publix |
| Best Fast Food | Chick-Fil-A | Foosackly’s |
| Best Ice Cream | Wild Honey | Marble Slab |
| Best Coffee | Starbucks | Fosko’s |
| Best Breakfast | First Watch | The Ruby Slipper |
| Best Hispanic Food | El Asador | La Hacienda |
| Best Asian Food | Panda Express | Bento’s Sushi |
| Best Seafood | Peg Leg Pete’s | The Grand Marlin |
| Best Local Restaurant | El Asador | Peg Leg Pete’s |
| Best Grocer | Publix | Joe Patti’s |
| Best Theater | Saenger Theater | AMC |
| Best Thrift Store | Alyssa’s | Goodwill |
| Best Fitness Center | UWF Gym | Planet Fitness |
| Best Live Music | Saenger Theater | Vinyl Music Hall |
| Best Food on Campus | Chick-Fil-A | Bento’s Sushi |
Conclusion
The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are no longer showing any effect in the number of businesses recommended by UWF students. Additionally, instead of having a mostly food-based focus, there are now more categories that are not food-related that made it completely through the survey. Of these businesses, event spaces shined through as well as thrifting, fitness, and grocery. This trend shows that students are prioritizing these industries as important facets of their lives.
We would like to recognize the following students for their significant contributions to the 2023 U Choose Awards. They did spectacular work prepping the U Choose Awards data and were instrumental in presenting our research at the UWF Spring Symposium.