Last updated on Oct. 29, 2025 at 05:30 p.m.
Dining services at Newman Hall — operated by Upper Crust Food Service — will reopen Wednesday, according to an email Newman Hall sent to residents obtained by The Daily Illini.
The email stated that the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District re-inspected the facility on Tuesday and issued a yellow placard to Upper Crust, allowing dining operations at the private certified residence hall to resume.
The yellow rating marks the first step in CUPHD’s two-stage reinstatement process following the dining hall’s closure last week after a failed inspection.
CUPHD found no new violations and Upper Crust had corrected all previous violations before Tuesday’s reinspection, according to the district’s report. It will reinspect the facility within 10 business days before deciding whether to issue a green placard.
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CUPHD uses a three-color placard system to rate food establishments. Green indicates satisfactory compliance with health regulations, yellow signals less than satisfactory compliance and gives the establishment time to correct violations before a follow-up inspection. Red means the facility is out of compliance and must close immediately until issues are resolved.
Upper Crust will continue operating under a corrective action plan approved by CUPHD last week. Newman Hall has also hired a third-party food service company to oversee Upper Crust’s operations during its reopening, according to the same email.
The message also stated that the dining room will begin serving limited menu options on Wednesday. Three new prep coolers were delivered on Tuesday and will be inspected by CUPHD before being used. Food trucks will remain available to residents until operations are restored.
Newman Hall said it will continue updating residents as CUPHD reviews the facility over the next two weeks.
Jenn LaMontagne, director of marketing and communications for St. John’s Catholic Newman Center, addressed the re-inspection in an email to The DI on Wednesday. LaMontagne wrote that Presby Hall — another private certified residence hall at the University — is providing additional oversight for kitchen operations as Upper Crust resumes food service.
“We are grateful for the patience of the Newman Hall community as Upper Crust has navigated this process, and we are looking forward to having the Dining Room open tomorrow,” LaMontagne wrote.
