Corrections appended.

By the beginning of the spring 2014 semester, Sodexo hopes to replace the Quiznos in Upper Usdan with a New York-style, kosher delicatessen, according to Jay DeGioia, Sodexo's resident district manager for Brandeis.

DeGioia said in an interview with the Justice that Sodexo began implementing early steps in plans for renovating the space last week, bringing in architects to assess plumbing and electricity. Renovations are scheduled to take place over the winter break between the fall and spring semesters, so that the new kosher dining option will be open by the time students return in January.

According to DeGioia, the delicatessen has yet to be named. Sodexo plans to work with students to come up with a suitable name, and DeGioia said Sodexo is open to suggestions, though he gave no specific method for students to submit them. "We want to have a great kosher option on the other side [of campus from Sherman]," said DeGioia in an interview with the Justice.

The decision to add a secondary kosher dining option was based upon community feedback, said DeGioia. "When we came up with these plans we did a year and a half of research," DeGioia told the Justice. This research was done during Sodexo's creation of their request for proposal, during the bidding process for becoming Brandeis' food service provider.

In early October 2013, Sodexo polled students in Sherman Dining Hall about whether they wanted to see a kosher delicatessen on campus, and received "overwhelmingly" positive responses in favor of the idea, according to DeGioia, who says the results totaled about 25 votes against and a couple hundred in favor of the delicatessen. In the same poll Sodexo also asked if students would be in favor of turning Sherman Dining Hall into an all-kosher option, and received negative reactions. Sodexo intends to take such feedback into consideration, said DeGioia. "As you tell us what you want, we'll do our best to roll it out," he added

Barry Sasson '16 expressed his excitement for the new delicatessen in an interview with the Justice. As a kosher student, Sasson currently eats meat only in Sherman. Sasson not only feels that the delicatessen would "significantly widen" his options for eating on campus, but said that the delicatessen would allow him "to eat a quicker meal when in a rush or need[s] to be somewhere far from Sherman on campus."

However, on Sunday during the Dining Committee chair report when the University's approval for the delicatessen was announced at the Senate meeting, several senators expressed concerns with replacing Quiznos, a "staple" for many students who eat there as an alternative option to the stations within Usdan Caf?(c). Executive Senator Annie Chen '14 said that although the University has already approved this plan, it "shouldn't discourage us from giving our opinion. We represent our constituents."

Sodexo is also trying to integrate kosher options in other areas of University dining. According to DeGioia, kosher options will be available in the new Dunkin Donuts in the Village, which will open sometime in early November. Although the facility itself will include meat and dairy, and therefore will not be a kosher facility, the donuts and coffee are already kosher coming into the facility. Sodexo is planning to work with a rabbi to make sure that these items are handled in such a way that adheres to the laws of kashrut, or eating kosher, DeGioia added. 

With all these changes, Sodexo looks to students to voice their opinions. "All major changes are subject to approval" by the Brandeis community, DeGioia said, continuing on to say that Sodexo desires to give "the students the opportunity to own their own program and for [Sodexo] to support it."

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-Marissa Ditkowsky contributed reporting 

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Editor's Note: The Dunkin Donuts that will be opening in the Village in November will not be a kosher facility. Sodexo is merely looking to work with a rabbi to provide kosher options at the location.