We hope you’re hungry! Maucker Union will be welcoming a new bistro: Erbert & Gerbert’s. 

Joining the sandwich ranks with Jimmy John’s, Sub City and Subway, Erbert & Gerbert’s will be replacing the Café Fresco, which is currently located in Prexy’s. 

“The change is being made to ‘refresh’ our offerings to improve our customer’s satisfaction with the choices offered,” said Carol Peterson, the director of dining at UNI

According to Kim Middleton, a representative from Erbert & Gerbert’s, the company has done well with their campus bistros.

“When the opportunity at the University of Northern Iowa presented itself, we knew the brand would serve the campus extremely well,” Middleton said. 

Erbert & Gerbert’s reached out to UNI, thinking the campus’s atmosphere would fit well with their brand. 

“Iowa is a state with many great colleges and universities, and UNI is a leader among them. We thought that as an emerging brand we wanted to partner with a leader,” Middleton said. 

But what does Erbert & Gerbert’s bring to the lunch table that the other sandwich shops around campus don’t? 

“E&G, as both a product and a brand, has always resonated with the college-crowd,” Middleton said. “The sandwich names and stories create more than customers, it creates a fan base.  It also helps that our sandwiches and soups have unique profile above and beyond the average deli.” 

For Petersen, E&G’s has a uniqueness that will help set them apart from the competition. 

“Their products are high quality and their menu will offer the variety of sandwich choices our customers desire,” Petersen said. 

According to Middleton, the type of food E&G’s offers is perfect for students on the go. 

“Sandwiches are quick and portable for students on their way to class, and our menu has a gourmet quality that this group in particular finds appealing,” Middleton said.

With other sandwich companies located off campus, Petersen hopes that the addition will keep customers on campus. Petersen said that a college union is a place where community is built and students, faculty and staff can all come together to connect and build that community. 

That community which Petersen said plays a role in student engagement. Petersen also said location plays a role in the student union.

Erbert & Gerbert’s has 80 locations nationwide and about 20 sites in development. 

Most of their locations are in the Midwest, but they have a few locations on campuses in Oregon and Tennessee. 

But E&G’s isn’t the only change coming to UNI dining. 

“We have additional plans for changes to our retail venues here on campus in the upcoming year or two,” said Petersen. 

Details of these further plans have not yet been finalized. 

For now, we’ll just have to sit back and digest the news of a new deli on campus.