Thunder Mountain Curry and Collar City Grill menus altered due to Rathskeller repairs

On March 15, Thunder Mountain Curry, LLC posted a Facebook announcement stating “Thunder Mountain Curry will be under construction for the next couple months. RPI is making essential repairs in the Rathskeller kitchen. We will be unable [to] make pad thai, vegetable stirfry and dumplings until repairs are made. We will use this time to develop new dishes. Keep your eye on this space for updates!”

Collar City Grill changed their menu to accommodate the Rathskeller repairs. Supervisor Jessica Zaloga commented that “Collar City Grill, for the next couple weeks, will be switching over to cold and pressed sandwiches…for the same reason. Unfortunately, our hood system went down and sometimes you just got to make lemonade out of lemons.”

Director of Auxiliary Services Michael Ramella commented, “I’m unsure of the exact repairs…I understand that it is a component of the kitchen exhaust system. It results in limited cooking appliances until the repair is made. It affects all of the locations in the Rathskeller, although the adjustments that they are making to menus are different by vendor.”

Director of Media Relations & Communications Deanna Cohen responded that “there are some adjustments being made to equipment in the lower level of the Union which may limit menu offerings for a limited time. However all units, including Thunder Mountain Curry remain open!” Michael Dingman, Director of Operations at The Halal Shack confirmed that “The Halal Shack is not affected at this time and will be open our normal hours of Operations.”

According to Business Operations Chairperson Brian Anderson G’22: “Because the kitchen space is operated by Sodexo/Auxiliary services, the repair is being handled by them, and not through the Union’s staff and budget.” According to Anderson, the timeline for repair is unclear due to the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain issues. In a later email, Anderson added “I believe that the issue is with the extractor/hood, the device that pulls smoke/fumes/grease from the air. I spoke with someone from TMC and they informed me that they are making food off site and bringing it into their booth.”

In the meantime, Mike Gordon at Thunder Mountain Curry shared what will be on the menu: “I’m going to be doing Indian dishes…banh mi sandwiches filled with char siu pork … char siu bao, steam pork buns…and other dishes.” Gordon added that he’ll be posting the menu on Thunder Mountain Curry’s Facebook page daily, encouraging everyone to check Facebook and give feedback. But not to worry, the pad thai will be back “as soon as the repairs are made” according to Gordon.