RPI’s Department of Auxiliary Services plans to replace the current dining options of Halal Shack, Bird N’ Brine, and Jimmy John’s with Pita & Olive, a local Mediterranean restaurant based in Clifton Park, on the first floor of the Rensselaer Union. The announcement of the change caused an uproar from the student body, with a Change.org petition against their removal gaining over 315 signatures in roughly a week. Students were displeased with the reduction from three restaurants to one, specifically citing the lack of transparency from administration and a seeming absence of student input in the decision. In addition, students criticized the affordability of Pita & Olive compared to the current options, stressing the need for cheap dining options. For comparison, bowls at Halal Shack range from $10 to $14, and bowls at Pita and Olive $13 to $14. The RLDC estimated Pita & Olive could move into the first floor as soon as winter or spring break.
Hearing the discourse, Residential Life and Dining Committee Chairperson Shruthi Anandraman ’28 and the Student Senate held a presentation and discussion on the changes. Firstly, Anandraman introduced Pita & Olive’s menu for their main location, overviewing the bowls, pitas, salads, and pastries, as well as their matcha and coffee selection, while stating the menu and prices are not confirmed for the new Union location. She also assured the student workers would be given the option to transfer to the new establishment. Anandraman cited the change as a shift in favor of local businesses and healthier food options, stating that Pita & Olive has a high quality of food compared to the fast food currently available. Moreover, the shift replaces the current restaurants contracted under the Sodexo Group, a multinational food services and facilities management corporation that has been involved in many controversies about its unethical treatment of workers and questionable health standards, with a local restaurant.
Anandraman emphasized the importance of student opinion in the decision, planning to integrate a polling system to gauge an acceptable menu and tabling to understand the students’ perspective. Yet, the Department of Auxiliary Services will have the final say. When questioned on whether the kitchens needed to be renovated for the new store, E-Board representatives interjected by stating the kitchen would only need equipment replacements and the transition would not cost the Union in the short term. Throughout the presentation, Anandraman emphasized the preliminary nature of the discourse, citing that no final decision had been confirmed by Auxiliary Services.
In addition, the Director of Auxiliary, Parking & Transportation, Mohamed Ali, stated that the replacement was part of an overall effort to improve the dining facilities at RPI. Ali aims to improve the techniques of preparing food, renovate the dining halls, and factor in student input into the dining experience as a part of his future vision for RPI dining.
A major focal point of the uproar was the lack of communication between Administration and the student body, with Graduate Senator Paul Lea ’26 ’27G even remarking that he learned of the change on RPI Fizz, an anonymous student social media platform. Overall, the Senate generally agreed that the Student Government should better inform the student body on similar changes in the future to potentially avoid the dissatisfaction seen with the recent changes.
That week, the RLDC tabled and conducted an online survey to gauge students' opinion on the change. The survey of 525 responses resoundingly said no, with a wide majority deeply disapproving of the change. However, positive responses saw an uptick after tabling, giving hope to the possibility of positive public opinion of Pita & Olive after proper information is disseminated. After collecting the data, RLDC presented the results to the Department of Auxiliary Services and negotiated for Jimmy John’s to remain in the Union basement, limiting Pita & Olive to the two storefronts currently occupied by Halal Shack and Bird N’ Brine. The decision to keep Jimmy John’s over the other dining options mainly hinged on the fact that it had the least overlap with Pita & Olive’s current menu.
This Senate meeting was held on November 2, 2026. Senate meetings are held every Monday at 7 pm in Shelnutt Gallery.
