Ohio State has named Levy Restaurants its exclusive concessions partner for all of the university’s athletic venues, including the Schottenstein Center. The partnership will end the university’s 15-year partnership with Sodexo Inc., as its contract is set to expire on June 30.

Some OSU students have protested OSU’s affiliation with Sodexo in the past because of alleged workers’ rights abuses by the company.

The contract with the Chicago-based Levy Restaurants includes a $2 million allocation toward improvements of the Schottenstein Center’s infrastructure and $6 million for food service enhancements for all facilities, which includes rebranding, new signs and equipment upgrades.

“Through this new, seven-year agreement with Levy, Ohio State has an opportunity to work with a recognized leader in premium sports and entertainment dining to take our overall experience to the next level,” said Xen Riggs, OSU’s associate vice president for business advancement, in a press release sent out on Monday.

Riggs also stated in the press release the new commission rate with Levy Restaurants is expected to be 43 percent, compared to the current rate 32 percent with Sodexo.  

OSU’s current concession agreement with Sodexo returned $3.5 million in commission after generating $11.4 million in gross sales for the 2012 fiscal year.

With this new contract, the university expects to see about $1 million more.

“The university is committed to keeping food and beverage prices affordable and any increases would be determined by changes in market conditions, just as they have in the past and no increases will occur as a direct result of our new vendor or contract terms,” Riggs said.

The new contract will go into effect July 1 and will provide concessions to all major sports venues on campus, including Ohio Stadium, Bill Davis Stadium, French Fieldhouse, McCorkle Aquatic Pavilion and Jack Nicklaus Museum.