Aramark Collegiate Hospitality’s UT San Antonio Dining Brings San Antonio’s Food Scene to Campus

Partnerships with local restaurants and alumni-owned businesses bring San Antonio flavors to campus while highlighting opportunities for student entrepreneurs

At The University of Texas at San Antonio, local restaurants, entrepreneurs, and alumni-owned businesses are becoming part of the campus dining experience. Aramark Collegiate Hospitality’s UT San Antonio Dining is bringing local food and beverage options directly to students, from breakfast offerings to coffee and other dining options across campus.

Among those partners are The Eatery by True Flavors, Alamo Biscuit Company & Panaderia, and Fierro Coffee. 

At San Pedro I, a state-of-the-art academic building that opened in 2023 as part of UT San Antonio’s Downtown Campus expansion, The Eatery gives students a taste of San Antonio close to where they live, learn, and gather. UT San Antonio’s downtown programs serve approximately 8,000 students, creating opportunities to connect the campus experience with the city’s local food scene. Developed in partnership with the Hernandez family, the culinary team behind True Flavors Catering and La Gloria, the concept brings local culinary expertise directly to campus.

“Our partnerships reflect a broader effort by UT San Antonio Dining to bring businesses and culinary concepts to campus that are authentic to the city, relevant to students and connected to the communities the university serves,” said Taylor Cavazos, Aramark Collegiate Hospitality marketing manager at UT San Antonio. “By building relationships with local entrepreneurs and culinary leaders, we can also create opportunities for students interested in hospitality, the culinary industry, or entrepreneurship to learn from people building businesses in their own community.”

For John Vale ’13, that connection has brought his business back to his alma mater. After graduating from UT San Antonio, Vale founded Alamo Biscuit Company & Panaderia. Today, its breakfast offerings are available at Student Union Perk Coffee Shop and RowdyMart convenience stores on campus.

For students, the partnership offers more than another breakfast option. It provides an example of how a UT San Antonio graduate can build a business that serves his alma mater.   

The connection to the city continues through UT San Antonio Dining’s partnership with Fierro Coffee, a locally roasted San Antonio coffee brand with ties to the university’s alumni community. Served at the Student Union RowdyMart, Fierro gives students another opportunity to support a local business as part of their everyday campus routine.

“Together, the partnerships are designed to make campus dining feel more like an extension of San Antonio itself,” Cavazos said.

“When students see local entrepreneurs and fellow Roadrunners building successful businesses, they see what is possible for their own futures,” said Carrie Charley, associate vice president for Campus Services at UT San Antonio. “Bringing those businesses to campus allows us to celebrate alumni success, invest in our local community, and create a dining experience that is uniquely UT San Antonio.”