Student Dining Board did not formally approve Alpine Bagel's closure, new info reveals

The UNC Student Dining Board did not formally approve the decision to close Alpine Bagel Cafe — neither with a vote nor a motion, according to UNC Media Relations. This contradicts a previous Media Relations statement, which stated the closure was “supported and approved” by the board.

The morning of May 6, Alpine Bagel Cafe employees announced its impending closure on a whiteboard by the cafe in the Frank Porter Graham Student Union. 

That same day, Media Relations wrote in an email to The Daily Tar Heel that the Student Dining Board, which consists of 13 students and University staff members, approved the decision to “close the Alpine Bagel operation.”

The board’s responsibilities include selecting dining service contractors and reviewing Carolina Dining Services budgets, meal plan options and other logistics, according to the Student Dining Board website.

After The DTH followed up to ask for clarification, Media Relations wrote in an email on May 13 that “there was no formal motion or vote.” During a fall meeting, the Student Dining Board discussed replacing Alpine with another food concept, Media Relations wrote.

Sophomore Marli English, an at-large member of the board, said she did not recall there ever being a formal meeting, vote or motion to close Alpine. She said there were informal conversations about closing the restaurant, which she said were started by both board members and some CDS employees.

“We never, like, officially reviewed the decision, but we've been talking about it, I think, since last year,” English said. “It's been something that could happen.”

She said that during board conversations, CDS staff and board members voiced concerns about Alpine's product quality, inconsistent and poor customer service, long lines and frequent employee turnover.

Bobby Peters, the 2024-25 chairperson of the Student Dining Board, wrote in an email to The DTH that he also did not recall there ever being a formal vote to close Alpine. 

Peters directed The DTH to director of CDS Christen Carawan, whom he said could send any relevant information about the discussions. Carawan did not respond to The DTH’s request for any potential documentation of the board’s relevant meetings by the time of publication.

“If we approve something, it's usually just talking about the details and we vote on it,” English said. “And if you get a majority vote, then the motion passes.”

The DTH requested comment on why the previous Media Relations statement assigned partial responsibility to the board and on what constitutes an “approval,” but they declined to comment further.

English said the board reviews the performance of each dining location on campus. When the board was reviewing Alpine, she said CDS employees indicated they were considering replacing the location. English said members of the Student Dining Board were “generally open to the idea.”

On the whiteboard that employees posted outside of Alpine on May 6, it said that CDS district manager Daniel Walker was responsible for the closure. Media Relations wrote that the decision to close the restaurant was made by CDS and the University.

English said Walker is part of all the conversations the Student Dining Board has, but that he isn’t the sole decision-maker in dining matters. If the board voted against closing Alpine, English said that would have likely been the final say. If they were to bring up their opposition to the decision, she said that it would be reconsidered.

Walker did not respond to The DTH’s multiple requests for comment by the time of publication, and therefore has not confirmed nor denied his involvement in these conversations that English has outlined. 

Alpine managers and employees also said they were not notified of the restaurant’s closure until three days prior to May 9, the cafe's last day of operation.

“They have not come and told us a single thing yet,” Jason Carpenter, former assistant general manager of Alpine Bagel Cafe, said the day after news of the closure broke.

Media Relations wrote that two weeks prior to closing, CDS notified the Food People Restaurant Group, which owns and operates Alpine, that their partnership would not continue. 

“As Alpine was a third-party operation, it was the responsibility of its management, not CDS or the University, to communicate changes to its employees,” Media Relations wrote.

Food People did not respond to The DTH’s request for comment by the time of publication.

“Daniel Walker, district manager for [CDS], informed the owner that if employees are unable to retain their employment within Alpine Bagel, they are encouraged to review the current vacancies at CDS online and apply for those positions,” Media Relations wrote.

@reganxbutler

@dailytarheel | university@dailytarheel.com

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