Is the new FiveSixEight menu healthier?
Since taking charge of catering at the 568 bar in early March, Imperial College Union has pledged to improve the improve the affordability, service quality, and sustainability of its menu. Staples like the burgers, pizzas, and curly fries remain, but many items have been overhauled.
The venue, formely known as “Fusion54” and now as “Eat at 568”, has long been a favourite among staff and students for its curly fries, but the food available did not always align, in price or nutrition, with offerings elsewhere on campus.
The new menu has 13 less items than the previous, and only 15 mains to Fusion54’s 31. However, a variety of bowls, daily specials, and even two desserts have been introduced. More affordable bar snacks ranging from the £2.00 “Seasonal Olive Bowl” to the £6.00 “Brie Bites” are now on offer, with the most notable saving being a £3.00 price reduction for the pizza.
“We see this as a working menu that will continue to evolve over time,” Robert Pegg, ICU’s Director of Commercial Services, said. “We will conduct a full review in July 2026, followed by a further review in January 2027.”
As part of their campus-wide sustainability push, the Union have entirely removed beef from the menu, and have surpassed their commitment of at least half the menu being vegan or vegetarian with 61% of the options marked as such. However, when only mains are considered, the proportion remains largely unchanged at around 40%.
The Union also introduced two new gluten-free mains, going far beyond the prior menu’s offering of chips. However, these mains are only available before 3pm, and alongside the skin on fries, are the only allergen-free savoury dishes on offer, an issue that was raised at the last Union Council meeting.
“We recognise that we need to do more work in this area,” Pegg said. “Due to the size of the kitchen and the equipment currently in place, it has proved challenging to fully eliminate the risk of cross-contamination (particularly with gluten) during peak service times. However, the catering team is actively exploring all available options, and we hope to introduce additional dishes to better meet these requirements in the coming weeks.”
