UC San Diego (UCSD) opened the brand new Uncle Italian bar and restaurant on campus early October located at the Old Student Center, replacing Soda and Swine. The decision to establish Uncle Italian was made by Consortium Holdings, a hospitality group founded by a UC San Diego alumni, Arsalun Tafazoli. Consortium Holdings has 18 different businesses around the San Diego area, including bar El Dorado, barber shop Dover Honing Co., and Chinese Restaurant Fortunate Son.

Lauren Lemus, general manager of Consortium Holdings, explained their decision on rebranding the restaurant in a statement to The Triton. “We are suckers for a local institution, and fawn over all the hometown slice shops named via actual uncles, aunts, brothers and sisters and carrying on big and colorful family traditions,” Lemus said.