With the start of the new year, Union’s dining service has been teasing a new lunch option on campus. The reveal is the substantial shift in Rathskeller’s meal service. Rathskeller has abandoned its previous late-night dining option of fried American comfort food, to a Mediterranean inspired lunch option. This has curated both negative and positive buzz from Union students.
When entering Rathskeller, there is an immediate and obvious alteration – the menu cards. Ordering now consists of writing down either a “Build Your Own” meal or a given option curated by the chefs. Once completed, the papers are given to the kitchen staff in the back.
So what’s on the new menu? According to the Cafe BonAppetit website, it instructs Union students to, “Create your own Mediterranean-inspired bowl with fresh, vibrant produce, energizing grains, and filling proteins. Customize your masterpiece with crave-worthy dips, spreads, sauces, and toppings.” The style of food can be compared to a restaurant like Cava, Chipotle, or our local Simons on Jay Street. Meals can be served as a bowl or on a pita.
There have been a variety of good and bad reviews for this first week of new dining at Rathskeller. The first notable improvement is the quality of the rice bowls and the ingredients used. Compared to other rice bowls on campus, these pack much more flavors and freshness. There is also a large variety of flavors, which cater to different tastes and audiences.
Despite there being much variety, the variety all falls under a Mediterranean style of cuisine. With this, some students are perplexed by the loss of comfort from the mozzarella sticks, chicken tenders, and other food from the original Rathskeller. With some disapproving remarks, Ashley Sheldon ’27 reveals in an interview, “I don’t know if I like it… The old Rathskeller had more options, and it was a better late night service.”
The removal of Rathskeller’s reputation of a late night dining service will be a difficult transition for many students. Although Dutch has taken on the responsibility of holding later hours, it may not have the same atmosphere that Rathskeller once had. Rathskeller’s dark, speakeasy-like vibe just doesn’t feel the same during the day. The new dining hours are from 11:00 AM to 1:30 PM.
Mariah Jackson ‘27 comments on these hours in an interview saying, “New year, new ‘Skeller – I like that. I hate that it’s not open for anything other than common.”
The restricted hours of common, and slightly before can be inconvenient to some students. In the next few weeks, these hours will hopefully be up for debate as the term goes on. Common Hour on campus for lunch is hectic, making many turn away this service due to the lengthy lines or other offered dining services.
Although the hours and menu options may be a difficult adaptation, the flavors are no joke. Many have commented that they enjoy the meals, and agreed it has been one of the best meals consumed on campus.
There have been equal positives and negatives, which reveals the question: will this dining option stay for long?
