DUSDAC considers new Asian fusion food truck

Duke University Student Dining Advisory Committee discussed adding CJ’s Street Food to its food truck rotation at its meeting Monday.

CJ’s Street Food—which specializes in Korean barbecue and Asian fusion—serves tacos, burritos and rice bowls. Mark Thomas, the owner of the truck, said that the menu was designed for serving customers quickly during peak business times.

“We can turn around food extremely quickly,” Thomas said. “I built the menu for speed and volume. We’re built for the line to be down the block and be able to handle it. I think we’ve come into a great balance of managing volume and quality at the same time.” 

Reactions among DUSDAC committee members were mixed following Thomas’ presentation of the truck and its offerings. Most committee members agreed that the costs of the food truck were reasonable for its portions. Several members also added that CJ’s Street Food seemed to be a very dependable option. 

Ultimately, however, the committee was unsure about how the truck could enhance current Duke offerings because the Mixed Korean Truck already serves Korean options. 

“I think that CJ’s Street Food is a really good option,” said DUSDAC committee member Nelson Winrow, a junior. “They have really good pricing and were really quick with how they got their food out. I was a little bit concerned with how they will fit in with the rest of campus especially with the food truck rodeo tomorrow.”

Thomas added that his truck has taken care to avoid potential allergens such as peanut oil and has recently switched to corn tortillas to provide gluten-free options. 

In other business:

Six food trucks will serve samples of their most popular fare at the Bryan Center surface lot from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday as part of the annual food truck rodeo. Students who registered for the event will be given 10 ticket vouchers worth one dollar each to spend at the rodeo and will later be asked to provide feedback for the trucks using a survey. 

The rodeo was originally scheduled to take place Friday before the Old Duke concert but was postponed because of difficulties securing a location. Last year’s event attracted more than 1,000 students. 

Duke Dining Services is currently considering an 8 p.m. start time for Merchants-on-Points delivery options next year. However, exceptions might be made for East and Central Campus because of the lack of convenient late-night options. 

Prior to the renovations of the West Union, MOPs were considered a late night delivery option and their hours of operation began once most on-campus eateries had closed.