Fueling late-night study sessions with comfort food just became easier for students.
Dunkin’ Donuts and Dame’s Express are now available for delivery through the Merchants-on-Points system. Although Duke University Student Dining Advisory Committee voted for Dunkin’ to join the MOP program last year, it experienced difficulties in coordinating a delivery service in the fall. The eatery is now hoping to improve its delivery services.
“From what I’ve heard for a long time, people were understandably frustrated that they weren’t delivering or were delivering sporadically,” said senior Brian Taylor, chair of DUSDAC. “Since they’ve gotten some of those issues worked out, it seems like it’s gone a lot better.”
Dunkin’ Donuts’ delivery service also allows customers to order coffee and breakfast sandwiches as well as items from Baskin Robbins, such as ice cream cakes.
Pete Turner, the operator of Dunkin’ Donuts, said that the store hopes to use digital marketing to increase business and student awareness of the other items that can be delivered.
“It’s improving everyday,” Turner said. ”Business has improved four-fold.”
Dame’s Express is now providing delivery services as well.
Robert Coffey, director of dining services, wrote in an email that the previous vendor in the Central Campus location Dame’s occupied last August—Devil’s Bistro, which was operated by Food Factory—also delivered and that a delivery service for Dame’s has long been anticipated.
“It has always been in the plans to start the delivery service again once they got their feet under them with the opening of Dame’s Express,” Coffey wrote.
Dame’s delivery service began operation Wednesday and will serve dinner from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. and weekend brunch from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.
After opening on campus in the fall, Dame’s Express underwent a menu expansion to cater to student demands. In addition to its hallmark chicken and waffles, the eatery now serves sandwiches, salads, pizza and regional fare.
Damion Moore, co-owner of Dame’s, said that the remainder of the semester will serve as a trial run for the delivery service.
“We’re optimistic,” Moore said. “Right now we’re going to offer it for limited hours, and if it does well, we’ll be able to expand offerings for when we do delivery. Hopefully when we come back next semester, it will be of value to the students and something we continue to do.”
Taylor noted that he is enthusiastic about the new service, adding that Dame’s delivery will make its food accessible to students who live on East or West Campus.
Both vendors are using the platform Bring It, which is operated by the student organization Campus Enterprises, as their delivery service. Taylor said that Campus Enterprises has become a popular option for MOP vendors because of its success in delivering Sushi Love, another MOP.
Taylor explained that the goal for the future is to have all of the vendors in the West Union able to deliver food during regular operating hours, although this will likely not occur until next spring.
“We fully recognize that there is a gap, especially for people on Central or if they are not close to a vendor on West, for wanting a dinner delivered at 5 o’clock, 6 o’clock, 7 o’clock,” Taylor said.
In order to assess demand, students who participated in Tuesday’s food truck rodeo will be asked in a survey if they would like some MOPs to deliver exclusively to Central Campus from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m each day.
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