Food Services will debut a fully vegan taco bar every Tuesday starting next month, featuring jackfruit carnitas, lentil chorizo, and cashew crema. The move follows a 412-signature petition circulated by the student environmental club over the past six weeks.
Director Alan Whitlock said the department was "moved by the scale of the response" and is now considering expanding plant-based options beyond Taco Tuesday. "This is the strongest student feedback we've received on a menu change in at least five years," Whitlock said. "We're listening."
We expected maybe a hundred signatures. We had to keep scrolling. — Maria Santos, Environmental Club President
The petition was started in February by Environmental Club president Maria Santos, a junior, after the club screened a documentary on food sustainability during their weekly meeting. Within the first 48 hours the petition had cleared two hundred signatures.
What's on the menu
The vegan taco bar will offer three rotating proteins each week — jackfruit carnitas, lentil chorizo, and a seasonal vegetable option — alongside house-made cashew crema, pickled jalapeños, and fresh salsa. All items will be clearly labeled and prepared on a dedicated surface to avoid cross-contamination.
Santos said the club plans to attend the first Taco Tuesday in force. "We want to show the cafeteria this is real demand," she said. "If the numbers are there, maybe it becomes permanent."