Alpine Bagel Cafe will close permanently after its final day of operation on Friday, May 9. Alpine Bagel employees, who discovered the closure three days in advance, broke the news to customers on Tuesday by writing “ALPINE BAGEL IS CLOSING FOREVER” on a whiteboard in front of the cafe.
Located in the Frank Porter Graham Student Union at UNC, Alpine Bagel Cafe is one of the campus dining options offered by Carolina Dining Services. It is owned by Food People Restaurant Group, a restaurant development company based in South Carolina.
CDS partners with Aramark, a facilities, hiring and food management provider for colleges and universities.
“While Aramark oversees general dining operations and staff employed directly by CDS, it does not manage the operations, hiring or staffing of third-party vendors such as Alpine Bagel,” Media Relations wrote in an email to The Daily Tar Heel.
On the Tuesday whiteboard announcement, Alpine employees wrote that Daniel Walker, Aramark’s district manager for Carolina Dining Services, canceled their contract with the University. But Media Relations said that it was the University and CDS, in collaboration with the Student Dining Board, that ultimately made the decision to close the bagel shop.
The University reserves the right to end any third-party vendor relationship, following standard contractual terms and “with appropriate notice, which was followed in this case,” Media Relations wrote.
Walker did not respond to The Daily Tar Heel’s request for comment by the time of publication.
Whiteboard announcing Alpine Bagel Cafe’s closure is pictured by the restaurant on Tuesday, May 6, 2025.
Jason Carpenter, assistant general manager at Alpine Bagel, said employees have not yet received official notice of the closure.
Each year, the cafe closes for a week directly following graduation and reopens for the summer with different hours, he said. After Alpine Bagel employees heard rumors from facilities workers that there wouldn’t be summer hours, he said it was confirmed Monday night that the cafe would not reopen at all after graduation.
“We had to do our own research,” Carpenter said. “It seems as if the higher-ups were planning to blindside us.”
Alpine is a third-party operation not directly operated by CDS, similar to other third-party partners like Mediterranean Deli and Cholanad. Media Relations wrote that the owner of Alpine Bagel was informed in advance of the closure.
“[It] was the responsibility of [Alpine Bagel’s] management, not CDS or the University, to communicate changes to its employees,” Media Relations wrote.
Food People Restaurant Group, which owns Alpine Bagel, did not respond to The Daily Tar Heel’s request for comment by the time of publication.
Carpenter said he suspects Alpine’s independent operation is the reason for the restaurant’s imminent closure. He also said he believes “higher-ups” did not want Alpine Bagel employees to find out about the closure when they did and that they are “looking to punish” the informant, whom he declined to name.
“Which doesn’t make sense, because we need to find new jobs,” he said.
“[Daniel Walker] 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.
Alpine Bagel employee Lily Mays said she found out about the permanent closure from her managers on Tuesday. She said she is disappointed because this was her first “real job.”
“I was surprised,” Mays said. “That’s really all, it’s a little sad.”
“Campus dining options are reviewed regularly to ensure we offer brands and menus that appeal to campus customers,” Media Relations wrote. “As campus dining needs and operations continue to evolve, the decision was made to close the Alpine Bagel operation.”
The Student Dining Board supported and approved the decision to close Alpine Bagel, Media Relations wrote. The board consists of students and University staff members whose responsibilities include selecting dining service contractors and reviewing CDS budgets, meal plan options and other logistics, according to their website.
CDS will replace Alpine Bagel with a new “breakfast and lunch concept” this fall, which it will manage and operate directly, Media Relations wrote.
“We are truly grateful to the many students and staff who have made Alpine Bagel a part of their campus experience over the years,” UNC Director of Dining Christen Carawan said in a statement. “While saying goodbye to this location isn’t easy, we’re excited to introduce a new dining experience this fall that we believe will continue to meet the needs of our community.”
CLARIFICATION: A previous version of this article included quoted material from Alpine Bagel’s assistant general manager that was inaccurate. The assistant general manager said that Alpine was independently contracted with Aramark to operate for 10 years and that Daniel Walker, the district manager overseeing Aramark’s collegiate hospitality program at UNC, paid to terminate the contract seven years early. Media Relations stated there has never been a 10-year guarantee extended to Alpine Bagel and that the existing contract did not include any monetary requirement to terminate it. The Daily Tar Heel has not been able to acquire the contract, as Media Relations wrote that the specific terms of vendor contracts are “not publicly disclosed.”
