Students may have been mystified by the lack of food carts on the Bryan Center Plaza this Fall—but the missing carts result from coincidentally timed closures, rather than action by Duke Dining or construction.
At the beginning of last year, the Plaza featured four carts—the Greek Devil, JB's Gourmet Dogs, Locopops and Au Bon Pain. This year, the only cart present is the Greek Devil, though it has sat empty since school began. Owner Gus Megaloudis said his cart's closure is only temporary as he deals with a family emergency and he plans to return.
"Duke has been a great part of my life and I miss all my students as if they were my own children," Megaloudis wrote in an email Monday, noting that he would like to return to campus soon.
The closing of the four carts is not directly related to construction or to Duke Dining policies, said senior Gregory LaHood, co-chair of the Duke University Student Dining Advisory Committee.
The carts have left at the same time as a portion of the Plaza undergoes significant construction, part of the West Union renovations. When the Kilgo Quadrangle entrance to the Plaza was shut down last Fall, the carts were relocated from their original spaces in the center of the Plaza to the area near Penn Pavilion.
Locopops reported a significant decrease in sales and was forced to shut down its cart, but Megaloudis lent a hand to the owners by selling the cart's signature popsicles from his own Greek Devil. The ABP cart closed a few months later due to low sales, and JB's Gourmet Hot Dogs decided to close for undisclosed reasons at the end of last year.
Alhough the Greek Devil stayed open until Megaloudis left to attend personal matters this year, it was not immune to the changes in foot traffic and sales—with revenue down last Fall, the cart changed locations in the Spring. After the ABP cart shut down, the Greek Devil took over its former location, which is closer to the Bryan Center.
Both the ABP cart and JB's Gourmet Hot Dogs had relatively short-lived experiences on the Plaza, with the ABP cart closing after a few months and JB's shutting down less than two years after replacing long-time campus favorite Pauly Dogs.
LaHood noted that the closures are not part of a policy decision by Duke Dining, adding that DUSDAC will be considering replacement carts for the location left open by JB's Gourmet Hot Dogs.
"The absence of food carts on the plaza is only temporary and in no way is a result of the construction, a recommendation by DUSDAC or a decision by Duke Dining," LaHood wrote in an email, adding that the carts' absence should not imply that they are not valuable.
Director of Dining Services Robert Coffey said that Megaloudis's presence on campus is appreciated and Duke Dining hopes to welcome the Greek Devil back soon.
"Gus is a valued partner and Duke Dining is working with him in hopes he will be able to be back on campus in the near future," Coffey wrote in an email Monday.
In the meantime, students craving Greek food can turn to another vendor managed by Megaloudis—food truck Gussy's, which serves dinner by the Chapel circle several times per week.
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