After nearly seven years of sitting desolate on Normal Street, the Confucius Institute building has opened its doors to new use. 

University Spokesperson Jace Lux said that Aramark, WKU Restaurant Group’s service provider, is moving the Restaurant Group’s main offices to the building. This comes after WKU announced its plans in October to remove around 20 buildings alongside State and Chestnut streets for the construction of a new Academic Complex. 

“We are excited about our new space in a centralized campus location and look forward to continuing to serve and support our students and the WKU community,” WKU Restaurant Group said in an email.

The Confucius Institute, which opened in 2010, was active for only nine years on WKU’s campus. In 2018, legislation was passed prohibiting institutions already receiving funding for Chinese language programs, such as WKU’s highly-acclaimed flagship programs, from hosting Confucius Institutes. By 2019, other universities, including Indiana University and theUniversity of Minnesota, had closed their Confucius Institutes due to the same funding conflict. The building, however, remained on campus.

The Restaurant Group’s main office remains in DSU 1045.