The idea for the Rad Dish Co-op started back in the Fall of 2013, when a few Temple University students dreamed of opening a food co-op on campus. By spring of 2014, these students produced an independent study that included a mission statement, bylaws, and business plan for the co-op.

Slowly but surely, plans for the food co-op grew. Now the Rad Dish Co-op (located in Ritter Annex, just off of Cecil B. Moore Avenue on Temple’s campus) is set to officially open on Thursday, February 5.

“We [have] finalized our menu, trained employees, and had a ‘soft-opening’ week,” said Lauren Troop, a member of the co-op’s Outreach Committee. “We didn’t advertise this week, as we wanted to use the first operational week to further train employees and work out the kinks before we told everyone we were open.”

Rad Dish is sourcing food from Common Market and Wildflour Bakery and hopes to source from Neuron Nectar’s delicious juices in the near future. In addition, the cafe has been collaborating with many of Temple University’s other sustainability organizations, including Temple Community Garden, Students for Environmental Action, Slow Food, Temple Office Supply Swap. The team will also collaborate with SPARC, an initiative to get sustainable groups at universities to collaborate with one another.

They’ve also run into a few obstacles along the way, including some founding members graduating from the university.

“Luckily some younger members stepped up and we have been able to recruit more members to fill these spaces,” Troop said, adding that now the co-op is focused on preparing for its grand opening on February 5.

“We are perfecting our menu and continuing to train employees and work out the kinks that come along with operating a cafe for the first time. We are all figuring out how to balance school work with running this cafe. We are also securing student bands to play and artists to display their work,” she added.

Tickets for the grand opening are available.

Image via Rad Dish Co-op