Three months after the University of Florida suspended Krishna Lunch from campus, a petition asking that the nonprofit be welcomed back is rapidly gaining traction amid silence from the school. 

UF student Nathan Watson posted the petition “Bring Back Krishna Lunch!” to change.org six days ago. It’s reached 985 signatures with a goal of 1,000, although owner Adi Syama told Mainstreet he hopes and thinks they can get more. 

“Krishna Lunch was a highlight of my campus experience from undergrad in the 90s to law school,” said a signer named Christie. “I recently moved back to Gainesville, and I drive across town to get to Krishna lunch- good food, good people, good deal. Please bring back this central part of the UF campus experience.” 

The university suspended Krishna Lunch on March 1 after one of its food-delivery box trucks struck a 19-year-old female student on Buckman Drive near University Avenue. 

The incident resulted in multiple fractures and life-threatening injuries for the student, although the Gainesville Police Department reported she was recovering. Syama said he hadn’t heard any updates on her condition since then, as the incident is still under investigation. 

Founded by the Hindu Hare Krishnas in 1971, Krishna Lunch of Krishna House delivers vegetarian meals to hundreds of students daily—including at UF’s Plaza of the Americas—and to the greater Gainesville community. 

Although the school never confirmed if the subsequent suspension from delivering to campus was related to the box truck incident, the move halted the organization’s partnership with UF for the first time in 55 years and remains unresolved. 

Syama said he’s sent numerous emails to UF’s Business Affairs department over the past few months, up through last week, and is trying to get more information about the suspension and communicate how to move forward. 

He said he received no response. 

“The last one we sent a week ago was a last [attempt] to try to reestablish some communication, and we weren’t successful,” he said. “So, you know, at least we gave it our best shot before this petition.” 

Syama said a new $30,000 fleet of custom electric food carts is ready to bring safety to campus. 

The carts eliminate the need for transport trucks on inner campus walkways and support UF’s sustainability goals through eco-friendly technology, according to the petition. Syama said he’d already been working to get the carts and had met with UF staff about them before the accident. 

Watson’s petition requests UF’s Vice President of Business Affairs, Brandi Renton, to reopen lines of communication with Krishna Lunch, review the organization’s electric cart upgrades and establish a timeline to return to campus. 

“While campus safety is the highest priority, communication between the university and Krishna Lunch has stalled, leaving students and faculty without this vital resource,” the petition states. 

Syama also said miscommunication about the truck incident and Krishna Lunch had been spreading on Reddit, including that the driver had fled the scene and that the organization gets its food from food banks. 

Syama denied both claims and said he and the driver were present at the accident. 

Although there are still more petition signatures to acquire, Syama said he’s encouraged by the early numbers and said Krishna Lunch is ready to come back to UF with safer carts and a new menu, which he said is the best during his eight-year tenure at the organization. 

“I know it’s rough time for all sides, but we’ll see,” Syama said. “Everybody was quite excited with how [the petition] was going, and we still have so many alumni to reach out to. We’ll see.”

Mainstreet reached out to UF regarding Krishna Lunch, but UF did not reply as of 5 p.m. on Thursday.