Members of Duke University Student Advisory Committee discussed changes to Devil’s Krafthouse at a meeting Thursday.
The Krafthouse, which was previously open until 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, will now close at 12 a.m. on those days.
Andy McGowan and Andy Perno, the operators of the restaurant, spoke during the meeting, explaining that the Krafthouse is a "ghost town" during those hours. The owners noted that they “just want to take some mercy on [their] staff."
DUSDAC members approved the request and asked the Krafthouse’s management to update their website with the new hours as soon as possible.
“If there is no demand at that time, then it is a rational decision to close it down by midnight,” said senior Emily Cohen, a DUSDAC member.
McGowan and Perno also presented their intent to shift the restaurant's focus from lunch to later-hours activity, which DUSDAC said it supported. The owners explained that the Krafthouse will lean toward becoming a “nighttime shine bar” and could potentially change its opening hours to 4 p.m. in the near future.
“[Krafthouse] is becoming more of a meeting place than a place for grabbing food, especially since there are a variety of foods available up the stairs,” McGowan said.
Junior Olivia Deitcher, a DUSDAC member, said that the restaurant's high prices might be preventing people from buying food. In response, the owners claimed that there is a five-dollar special lunch menu already available. However, they added, most students are not aware of it since it is not yet “up on social media.”
A representative of Duke Student Government volunteered to advertise this lunch menu in its weekly email blast that is sent to all students.
In other business:
The committee also addressed the complaints of the Mi Gente, Duke's undergraduate Latinx group, about their inability to get Latin American food delivered for their events on campus. DUSDAC president Brian Taylor, Trinity ’16, recognized the need for “ethnically diverse food” on campus and said that Merchants–on–Points vendors used to provide Latin American food.
DUSDAC members also decided to contact Guasaca, a South-American restaurant on West Main Street, for a potential MOP contract.
Barbara Strokes, director of residential dining services, explained that Housing, Dining and Residence Life will now be sponsoring free food on Saturday nights at Trinity Cafe on East Campus. Starting Monday, Trinity Cafe will also begin serving pizza at 9 p.m.
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