The Sodexo Burger incident, otherwise known as ‘Burgergate’ was an incident at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute that occurred in September 2025 when Sodexo, the university's dining services contractor, planned to remove all-week burgers from the menu. The incident sparked immediate student mobilization across social media platforms and resulted in their plans backtracking within 24 hours.

The Incident

On Wednesday, September 3, 2025, Sodexo supposedly removed burger options from the daily menu at RPI's campus dining halls without prior notice to students. Many became aware of the change through word of mouth, and Commons staff discussing the change (many of which mentioned that it was a decision made by upper-level Sodexo administration)

Student Response & The Petition

A petition written by Jordan Krishnayah ‘28, Griffin Oliver ‘27, and Zach Njenga ‘28 surfaced immediately. The petition text is as follows:

As far as nearly any student at RPI can remember, burgers at Commons Dining Hall have been a staple. They were a consistent and reliable option for many students who didn't enjoy the other options, whether there was pork being served at all the stations, or if the chicken was dry. Many a bright spring afternoon have been spent in Commons between friends, wasting away the days before finals over burgers and fries.

It has come to our attention that the Commons grill menu is soon to change– supposedly cheeseburgers/hamburgers will served only specific days of the week. This comes shortly after a general reduction in the quality of burgers at Commons,*

"There are three things guaranteed in life: Death, Taxes, and Commons Burgers" - Matteo Cereola. With these changes, that staple would come to an end, and a safe option for students with it.

Sodexo has done a great job expanding options for those with dietary restrictions. The inclusion of turkey & chicken alternatives have been incredibly helpful, and it is understood that Sodexo should continue to provide these other options. It is disheartening that with these changes, we have lost existing options.

As such, we petition Sodexo management and Auxiliary Services to work to return the Commons grill menu to have all-week beef burgers, while maintaining non-beef options for those with dietary restrictions. We implore Sodexo to ensure a diverse range of options at the grill, while ensuring that food service workers are treated appropriately with regards to pay, benefits, breaks, and hours worked. 

Senate Adoption

Senator Shruthi Anandraman '28, chair of the Residential Life and Dining Committee, officially sponsored the petition through committee and Jordan Krishnayah '28, chair of the Student Government Communications Committee (SGCC), began promoting it.

They brought awareness of the petition through multiple channels: Fizz, Instagram, Discord, and in-person canvassing, which occurred on Freshman Hill.

The multi-platform campaign resulted in rapid signature collection. Within 12 hours of launch, the petition received over 100 signatures from RPI students. By the time burgers were restored, total signatures reached 204.

Resolution

Burger options returned to dining hall menus on Thursday, September 4, 2025—one day after their removal. The incident prompted a meeting between Student Senate members and dining services administration on September 16, 2025.

During the meeting, Sodexo Campus Vice President of Operations Joshua Hubbard acknowledged the petition's effectiveness but indicated preference for faster feedback mechanisms, stating: "I'm perfectly happy with a petition, but it feels like it takes a long time. We want to be able to react quickly to stuff."

Director of Auxiliary Services Mohamed Ali admitted that communication between RPI students and Dining Services "tends to be lacking."

References

1. Sobel, Riley and Hevenor, Ronan (September 17, 2025). "One-day burger shortage sparks immediate reply from RPI admin". The Polytechnic.