In April 2025, ¿ì²¥µ¼º½ announced Aramark Collegiate Hospitality as the university’s new food services provider, managing all on-campus dining, retail, catering, and athletic concessions beginning June 16, 2025.
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Below are some FAQs developed to answer questions about the transition. You can submit any questions about this transition to PackHospitality@alvernia.edu.
¿ì²¥µ¼º½ Dining Hall Renderings
With Aladdin’s 5-year agreement concluding in 2025, in Fall 2024 ¿ì²¥µ¼º½ began an assessment of its campus dining priorities and evaluation of food service management companies to ensure the best possible services for the community. A Dining Services Request for Proposals (RFP) was issued in December 2024 to ensure a fair and responsible vendor selection process. Aladdin was invited to submit a proposal. After thorough consideration, ¿ì²¥µ¼º½ determined Aramark Collegiate Hospitality as best meeting the needs and expectations of AU – including student and employee engagement, chef-led hospitality, sustainability, value, staffing, transition, and training – as well as alignment with ¿ì²¥µ¼º½â€™s long-term vision for the student experience.
The decision was made by a cross-departmental group of leadership members. In addition to the RFP process, campus community input was taken into account in recent student-facing focus groups, online feedback, and annual satisfaction survey results.
Aramark Collegiate Hospitality best met the needs and expectations of ¿ì²¥µ¼º½ – including student and employee engagement, chef-led hospitality, sustainability, value, staffing, transition, and training – as well as alignment with ¿ì²¥µ¼º½â€™s long-term vision for the student experience. Aramark is recognized as a leading food services provider, serving more than 275 universities and colleges in the U.S. including one of the largest number of private-Catholic universities of any provider.
¿ì²¥µ¼º½ students can look forward to refreshed menu options, better value, more dining choices and enhanced student programing focused on culinary experiences including:
To support confidence in dining, a new Allergen station, True Balance, will offer meals made without the top nine allergens in support with Aramark’s Registered Dietitian.
Sustainable Fish Fridays will become a new staple. Aramark’s partnership with the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch to purchase fish showcases sustainability and culinary innovation through featuring dishes crafted from Best Choice seafood, which is sustainably sourced and environmentally responsible.
A focus on health and wellness that takes a holistic approach to the student experience. Aramark’s Registered Dietitian will be available for one-on-one consults, as well as wellbeing education through events in dining spaces including Vegetarian, Heart Health, and Nutrition month. Take15, Aramark’s mental wellbeing focus, events will be held regularly to support the success of all members of the campus community.
The Pack Hospitality Program belongs to the campus community, and our goal is to create a program that fits into the busy lives of those on-campus. We will be bringing Grub Hub mobile ordering to campus to make dining on-campus more convenient and provide a better experience.
A strong game day experience that cultivates a strong sense of what it means to be a Golden Wolf will rally the campus community around ¿ì²¥µ¼º½ Athletics.
The published meal plan prices for 2025-26 academic year are not impacted by this decision. New and simpler meal plans will be developed to align with the feedback from students. Any incremental yearly price increases similar to what ¿ì²¥µ¼º½ students have seen in the past are reliant on a variety of factors including inflation and labor costs, not ¿ì²¥µ¼º½â€™s food services partners.
Recognizing the strong connections students have with dining staff, as part of the new partnership with Aramark there will be an emphasis on food service employee retention throughout the transition. Hourly on-campus Aladdin employees will have the opportunity to retain their current positions, titles, and wages – allowing for job security and continuity of services. Aramark will work closely with all current Aladdin employees in the coming weeks, including hosting meet and greets in the next 10 days.
Current on-campus restaurants will be reassessed under the new contract and may be replaced or upgraded with new comparable dining and retail options. Listening session will take place during the fall and the new team will explore exciting and innovative options and franchises
Currently the Starbucks at the John R. Post Center and Freshens at the PLEX will remain operational under the new partnership.
Pack Hospitality is committed to student success, rooted in the fundamental needs. We will continue to support Clare's Cupboard as well as work with ¿ì²¥µ¼º½ to bring new resources to support food security on-campus.
If you have already submitted a catering request for an event after the transition, Aramark will honor your original order. Customers may also choose to update their order to include new menu options. For questions, please contact PackHospitality@alvernia.edu.
