Food at Cornell lives up to the hype. When we first visited, we were told the new dining hall on North Campus (Morrison) has won several awards. We thought it was just a marketing tool until we tried the food during the tour. It was great! We went back on Accepted Students’ Day and again when moving in S23 last fall. We’ve been impressed each time, and DS has been quite happy with the dining options around campus. In fact, H and I tried to get dinner at Morrison when we were there moving his stuff out last weekend, but he insisted on heading off campus for a meal as a break from studying for finals. H and I would have been perfectly happy dining there again.
D20 attends Hamilton (for just one more week!) and as @AnonMomof2 has mentioned, the dining food leaves a lot to be desired. The admin recognized the problem and the college switched providers twice in the last 4 years to try and improve things, but it doesn’t seem to have made a difference. The Diner is a great option on campus, but it’s only open for late-night eating. D loves Hamilton, but the food is one of the few things she won’t miss when she graduates next weekend! 
ETA: (I forgot to answer the question.) Dining food was not really considered when DD and DS were applying to schools. Good food was viewed as a nice perk, but dining was not a dealbreaker or dealmaker. Both applied to their colleges ED, and food was never a factor.