The race for a new Kenyon food service provider contract is nearing the finish line, after representatives from two of the final contenders visited campus on April 1 and 2. In an email to the Collegian, Chief Operating Officer Roger Wakeman relayed that the College’s decision will be released by April 17. The decision of whether to stick with AVI, Kenyon’s current food provider, or turn to an alternative has sparked conversation on campus.
Representatives for Chartwells, another food service provider, were spotted on campus last week. Chartwells currently services American University, the University of Pittsburgh and New York University. According to a page on its website called “Chartwells by Numbers,” the provider partners with over 4,800 schools nationwide and serves 2.3 million meals per day.
The process for selecting a new food service provider began in fall 2025, when Wakeman informed AVI, which has been Kenyon’s food service provider since 2006, that the College was putting out a Request for Proposal, which informs other potential providers the College is exploring its options. AVI’s contract was initially set to expire in 2020, but in light of the pandemic, the College and AVI agreed to extend it. In a late-November interview with the Collegian, Wakeman clarified that AVI would be “right in there with the competition.”
“We always have to make sure that our resources are being spent in a way that best serves our community,” President Julie Kornfeld told the Collegian in early February. “We want to make sure that we’re getting the value that serves our students.”
Some students are anxious about a potential switch. “I quite love the food,” Ada Wakefield ’27 said in an interview with the Collegian. “I feel like we have a lot of variety, and just a lot of different things every day, and they’re being very creative, which I appreciate, so I would be concerned that it would change.” Wyatt Strawbridge ’27 echoed Wakefield’s dismay. “I think it’s really sad. I think there’s too many Peirce haters out there, and they don’t give [AVI] enough credit for the hard work they do. There’s actually a decent amount of variety. And if you don’t have the beef, which is admittedly like cardboard, it’s really solid,” Strawbridge said.
Logan Furlonge ’27 believes that student-staff relationships are what make AVI so special. “I talk to the woman who is at the front at breakfast every morning, and we always check in, which is a legitimate part of my routine,” she told the Collegian. “I think Kenyon would be losing something if we also lose that.”
With the committee nearing its decision, AVI has been busy as ever. With the return of weekday Late Night Bites in the fall semester, increased presence of guest chefs, Peirce Express, Flats (see page 6) and various other pop-up events, AVI has been raising the bar for the competition.
News Editor Anna Sugg ’28 contributed to reporting.