College and caffeine go hand in hand, serving as social hubs for sleep-deprived students who don’t yet qualify to get into bars or clubs, providing entertainment in the form of music performances, book readings, activist meetings and more. Yet many coffee houses also employ unionized workers – sparking an emerging movement to organize this sector.

Last April, Off the Ave CCNY campus coffee bar’s new owners officially unveiled themselves to an enthusiastic reception. Moving into an iconic space that had served students during COVID outbreak years earlier, Off the Ave quickly become a hub of student life offering quick snacks and conversations between classes.

But the future of the cafe is in peril. Early this year, CCNY Dining Services informed Petrovic of plans by the college to transition management of cafes and dining halls over to Aladdin Food Management Services – a hospitality company primarily catering to higher education – for which Petrovic campaigned unsuccessfully; many student organizations signed a petition asking the school to reinstate him as manager of Aladdin Food Management Services.