This study was conducted to understand the food preferences of university dormitory students in the Gwangju area by gender and their satisfaction with the visual elements of dormitory cafeterias. Women and freshmen were the students most likely to use the dormitory cafeterias once a day for lunch, and many students used the cafeterias for less than six months. The preferred foods from the dormitory cafeterias were fruits, followed by juices, beef, chicken, and pork. Women preferred vegetables, tofu, and seafood, while men preferred meat and sausages. When the differences in the recognition of the dormitory cafeteria facilities and the environment through visual factors were analyzed, both male and female students showed higher scores on the need for investment in food rather than in the environment. There was no significant difference in the results of visual factors according to the ‘satisfaction’ and ‘dissatisfaction’ with the dormitory cafeterias. As a result, recognition of the service and hygiene in the dormitory cafeteria, satisfaction with staff and hygiene was high, followed by the service important. The scores of both male and female students were high for the food, indicating that investment in food rather than the environment was necessary. Therefore, investments in the food provided and diet were required rather than investments in the facility, equipment, and environment. It is necessary to understand the diversity of foodservice menus and diets for university students to find and provide highly preferred meals. In addition to developing a variety of menus for enhancing the health of the students, it is believed that efforts should be made to enable students to consume foods that they do not prefer but are nutritious through nutrition education.