AVI Foodsystems is considering converting the Rathskeller to an entirely chicken-based menu beginning in fall 2026. The Dining Advisory Board is currently reviewing the proposal, and in the next month, students will be able to try the new menu.
The Dining Advisory Board includes two students from each class year, as well as faculty and staff. College fourth-year Eli Ramer, a Dining Advisory Board member and Student Senate housing and dining representative, said that the new menu might include chicken tenders, chicken sandwiches, Texas toast, coleslaw, and specialty sauces.
“The Rat has a pretty limited kitchen area, so having a broader menu does [reduce] their capabilities,” Ramer said. “It also means that times might take longer when you’re ordering. So reducing [the current] menu will help with their workflow; it will also help to increase the quality.”
AVI Resident Director Sarirose Hyldahl is excited about the opportunities for student involvement in both marketing the new food and providing menu feedback.
“We are looking for feedback on the menu itself as well as the house-made sauces,” Hyldahl wrote in an email to the Review. “We will have a vote on which sauces are best liked and will implement those into our menu for next semester.”
Hyldahl also emphasized the accessibility of the menu.
“This new menu will open up a lot of options for gluten-free, halal, and vegan students as well,” she wrote. “The full menu will be meal XChange (no +1 on any entrees),” she wrote.
All chicken options will be gluten free and halal, and there will be vegan tenders and cauliflower wings offered as a vegan option.
Ramer, Hyldahl, and Assistant Vice President and Dean of Residence Life Mark Zeno all said that the concept is similar to the national fast food chain Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers.
“Students gave a lot of feedback in the fall survey saying they want to see more chicken options at the Rat,” Zeno said. “That’s easy. That’s something they could totally do down there.”
This potential change comes amid discussions of a Dining Master Plan, which would reimagine how dining locations are distributed on campus. Wilder Hall currently serves as the central location for dining, with Stevenson Hall on North Campus and smaller options like Heritage and Lord-Saunders Dining Hall in the south. Ramer mentioned that the Board has previously been presented with the idea of adding a dining hall similar to Stevenson to South Campus, but they are now discussing a singular, central hub.
“Right now, Wilder is the main hub for central dining,” Zeno said. “So how do we improve that space in conjunction with the Wilder renovation?”
For students still wanting a made-to-order burger similar to the options currently available at the Rathskeller, Stevenson Dining Hall will be the place to go. Hyldahl said that students have always been able to get a burger from the grill section of the dining hall and customize it with items from the deli area.
