News

Hospitality and tourism management students at RIT were given an assignment in their restaurant and event management class: create a pop-up lunch for 200, and come up with the theme, menu, pricing, even marketing. Nika Pikulik decided to honor her homeland with a Ukraine-themed meal.

Dining options at RIT are growing, with the introduction of a sandwich that has gotten a presidential seal of approval. Yes, you can still get a burger, Philly cheese steak, or a club sandwich. But starting Monday, you’ll also be able to order up a Munson.

Stephanie Berman and Boris Sapozhnikov are balancing life as full-time RIT staff members and part-time students in the Media Arts and Technology MS program.

Gracie’s, RIT’s largest dining facility which has fed students for decades in Grace Watson Hall, reopened this month after a five-month renovation project in its seating area. It was the second and final phase of renovation; the kitchen and serving areas were renovated in 2019.

Gracie’s, the largest dining hall on the RIT campus, will go to all online ordering Monday as renovations begin to restructure its seating area. Orders will be prepared in the kitchen and can be picked up in the lobby of Grace Watson Hall, where additional seating will be added in the lounge, as well as in the lobby of Kate Gleason Hall and in a large, heated tent that will be in place just west outside Grace Watson Hall.

There’s a greater variety of food options on the RIT campus this semester, as RIT Dining opened more locations, expanded online ordering, went cashless at select locations, and changed Gracie’s—for the first time in its 51-year history—from all-you-care-to-eat to retail.

As students return for the start of spring semester, RIT is prepared for students who need to be quarantined or isolated because of COVID-19.

With so many uncertainties due to the COVID-19 pandemic this year, one thing remains constant: People need to eat. Whether it’s a breakfast sandwich, a healthy salad, or even a hot Thanksgiving Day meal, the essential workers at RIT Dining have scrambled this year to safely accommodate hungry students, faculty, and staff.

A Black Lives Matter rally, complete with speakers, music, poetry, and dancing groups, is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 3, on campus by RIT students. Performances are expected by RIT Velocity, a student-run urban dance team, and Sunshine 2.0 performance group from RIT’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf.

Changes are in place at 21 locations on the RIT campus that will serve thousands of breakfasts, lunches, snacks, and dinners to students, faculty, and staff members returning to campus. Online ordering, cashless checkouts, reduced occupancies, outdoor and spaced-out seating, and increased cleaning protocols are all new features offered by RIT Dining in response to COVID-19 precautions.

With fewer people eating on campus due to alternative delivery of coursework, RIT Dining has decided to serve a different customer. They’re sending packaged meals to Rochester Regional Health, the university’s affiliated partner, to serve its workers who are helping our community during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Plastic bags, straws and stirrers will be a thing of the past beginning Friday at RIT, as the university begins its “Ditch the Disposables” campaign to decrease plastic waste. The initiative comes with student support, and in advance of a state ban on plastic bags that begins March 1.