Baylor Welcomes Tru Jamaica Restaurant to Campus for Spring Semester

Popular Waco restaurant devastated by fire will operate food truck on campus as they prepare to rebuild

Media Contact: Lori Fogleman, Baylor University Media & Public Relations, 254-709-5959
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WACO, Texas (Jan. 18, 2023) – On Dec. 8, 2022, East Waco restaurant Tru Jamaica suffered a late-night electrical fire that devastated the popular eatery. No one was hurt, but the damage forced the restaurant to close its doors. As Tru Jamaica begins the long journey to rebuild and reopen, the small family business will continue operating and serving its authentic Jamaican cuisine this spring on the Baylor University campus.

After hearing about the tragic fire, Sean McMahon, B.B.A. ’96, resident district manager with Baylor Dining, reached out to Tru Jamaica owner Aniceto Charles jr., inviting the restaurant to continue operations on the Baylor campus throughout the spring semester. The University’s business services office worked out the details over the holidays, and as a result, Tru Jamaica will serve its favorite dishes from an on-campus food truck, provided by Di Campli’s Italian Ristorante and rebranded for Tru Jamaica.

“We are excited to have Tru Jamaica on campus,” said Peter Granick, associate vice president of business services and chief procurement officer. “It is an important local Waco restaurant serving authentic and delicious food to our community, and we are happy to assist with their fire recovery effort in any way that we could. We encourage everyone to try the food and enjoy.”

The restaurant opened for business on the Baylor campus on Jan. 17, the first day of classes. The Tru Jamaica truck is located in the heart of campus on Fifth Street by Rosenbalm Fountain. Its hours are 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.

“Waco’s finest did an amazing job of containing and putting out the fire, and our Waco community has been so helpful in their encouragement, their prayers and gifts of support. Through this experience, our family has been comforted by our faith; and seek constant guidance from our Lord and Savior,” Charles said.

“Many doors have been opened to us, and we are prayerfully and boldly walking into a new future, an even more successful restaurant and relationship with our Waco community,” Charles added. “Tru Jamaica is very honored and grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the Baylor community. As our Waco roots grow deeper, we are committed to the pursuit of delivering amazing Jamaican food and amazing service with a smile.”

Tru Jamaica joins a growing partnership with Baylor Dining to increase the artisanal dining experience on-campus that introduces students, faculty, and staff to the varieties of cuisine throughout the City of Waco. The overall goal is to offer an array of local foods that support the growth of Waco small businesses. Local food trucks rotate every two weeks Monday through Friday on Fifth Street.

Baylor also offers a campus concept called Revolve that features two local eateries each semester in the Revolve space in the first-floor lobby of the Bill Daniel Student Center on Fifth Street.

When local restaurants had to cease in-person dining during the COVID-19 pandemic, Baylor Student Life partnered with local restaurants by purchasing vouchers that students could use after completing COVID testing or vaccinations, health measures that kept campus safe, healthy and open during the pandemic. These vouchers also helped several local restaurants survive financially until they could welcome back customers inside their establishments.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 90 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.