Arkansas Tech University students returning to campus this fall will find changes in dining services as Sodexo begins its first academic year as the university's food service provider under the leadership of an ATU graduate.

Justin Lewandowski, who earned a bachelor's degree in hospitality administration from Arkansas Tech in 2015, became Sodexo's general manager for campus dining operations July 1.

Lewandowski said improving customer service and food quality will be the primary focus as the company introduces new dining options and programs during the 2026-27 academic year.

"The biggest thing we want to focus on is our customer service," Lewandowski said. "We want to bring smiles to the students, faculty and staff."

Among the planned changes are more specialty dinners at Chambers Cafeteria, expanded made-to-order meal preparation and batch cooking designed to keep food fresher throughout meal service.

A new dining concept, Tech Xpress, also will open inside the Ferguson Student Union. The location will offer pizza, sub sandwiches, grab-and-go salads and wraps, fresh fruit bowls and convenience store items with extended operating hours.

"I've noticed one of the things the campus is missing is a convenience store," Lewandowski said. "We will have those items in Tech Xpress, and the hours are going to support it by being open from first thing in the morning until pretty late at night."

Arkansas Tech and Sodexo will also launch the national Swipe Out Hunger program during the coming academic year. The initiative will establish a meal swipe bank for students experiencing food insecurity.

In addition to campus dining, Sodexo will oversee concession operations at Arkansas Tech Wonder Boys and Golden Suns athletic venues.

Lewandowski is returning to the university where he studied from 2011 to 2015 after holding management positions with Sodexo at the University of Arkansas, Northwestern University and Arkansas State University.

He said returning to Arkansas Tech gives him an opportunity to improve an experience that affects students every day.

"Our quality of food is another big focus," Lewandowski said. "We'll do a lot more meal prep and cooking to order... We thrive on batch cooking, so everything is as fresh as possible for every group of students."

This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: ATU alumnus returns to lead new era for campus dining services