Donatos Pizza opens on campus, replaces Oxley’s To Go

Xiyonne McCullough
Wed, 03 Sep 2025 02:36:36 +0000
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Donatos at Oxley has taken place of Oxleys To Go, bringing the Columbus chain on-campus. Credit: Xiyonne McCullough | Special Projects Reporter

To grab a taste of Columbus, students no longer have to go off-campus.

Donatos Pizza, a Columbus-based pizza chain, partnered with Ohio State dining to open Donatos at Oxley’s, replacing the former Oxley’s To Go location on West Campus at the start of the semester.?

The former grab-and-go location — located at 2050 Tuttle Park Place — closed over the summer to make room for Donatos at Oxley’s. Oxley’s To Go’s menu will relocate into Courtside Café, located in the Recreation and Physical Activity Center, said Abby Hertzfeld, senior director of dining services.?

Hertzfeld said the change is part of an effort to bring off-campus dining to campus.

“We haven’t brought a local, name-brand licensed concept to dining before,” Hertzfeld said. “So what better concept than Donatos, born and raised in Columbus?”

Students have mixed feelings about the new addition to campus dining.?

Karina Burck, a fifth-year in city and regional planning, said she is indifferent about Donatos coming to campus.

“I feel like if we’re trying to bring more food, bringing diversity in food would be better than just another pizza place,” Burck said.

Beyond bringing more pizza to campus, Burck said she wishes the space had gone to a lesser-known local business in need of exposure.

“I would have rather it been a small business in Columbus that we can promote and uplift, instead of a big chain restaurant that is down the street,” Burck said.

Some students, including Charlie Christy, a third-year in special education, said the new dining options are a smart decision.

”They’re giving us an OSU food option that we can use meal swipes on,” Christy said. “I think that shows they are listening to our feedback and our interests in expanding food options.”

Hertzfeld said the campus menu features Donatos classics, with plans to expand offerings as the dining location adjusts to operations.

“We really wanted to start with the classics and perfect them because we’re representing the Donatos brand,” Hertzfeld said.

Donatos is known for its thin crust, party cut style, with toppings loaded across the whole entire pizza, according to their website. At their traditional locations, Donatos offers a variety of crusts, from their thin crust, to their gluten-free option.?

At the on-campus store, cauliflower crust will be added in the future as a substitute option for dietary needs, Hertzfeld said.

Later in the semester, Ohio State dining plans to expand Donatos at Oxley’s hours. Currently they are open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday.

“After fall break, we’re actually going to go into late night and do delivery out of here until 11 p.m.,” Hertzfeld said.?

As of the current Autumn 2025 semester, the dining places that are open the latest Monday through Friday on campus are Woody’s Tavern, Sloopy’s Diner and Curl Market, which all close at 10 p.m.

Christy said later hours will be especially helpful for students.

“There were times I wanted to eat, but the campus places were closed, so I would have to order off campus,” Christy said.