Members of the Duke University Student Dining Advisory Committee decided to add Sake Bomb, an off-campus restaurant that serves Asian cuisine, to Merchants-on-Points at their meeting Thursday.
Mike Fan, the owner of Sake Bomb, has teamed up with Jack Chao, the proprietor of the now-closed Grace’s Café, to offer Asian cuisine that is different from what is currently available on campus.
“Consider us. I’ve been with Duke for a while now,” Chao said at the meeting. “I’m not taking money from Duke. I’m giving back, out of my own pocket, to the Duke community.”
Chao explained that before he set up Grace’s Café, he had other restaurants off campus. But as time passed, he gradually sold those and devoted his time to running Grace’s Café.
Members of DUSDAC questioned the necessity of adding another Asian dining option because Sushi Love, a restaurant already on Merchants-on-Points, has similar offerings.
Chao agreed that he would need to vary his menu and is considering adding options similar to what Grace’s Cafe used to offer. He added that Fan is familiar with Sushi Love’s menu because he was one of its founding partners, and this will help with the creation of a separate menu specifically for the Merchants-on-Points program at Sake Bomb.
Senior Brian Taylor, chair of DUSDAC, said that friendly competition between the two restaurants has its merits and would give students more dining options.
The delivery time from Sake Bomb to campus is estimated to be around 20 to 30 minutes. Sake Bomb currently has one delivery driver and is aiming to increase to three drivers.
Chao said that about 99 percent of Sake Bomb’s customers are locals and that the restaurant only needs to earn enough profit from Duke students to pay the drivers.
Ultimately, DUSDAC agreed that there was nothing to lose with adding Sake Bomb to the Merchants-on-Points program, which currently has three open spots. The restaurants that offer similar Asian cuisine in West Union, Ginger + Soy and Gyotaku, will not face any competition because they will be closed when Sake Bomb begins operation at night.
Chao added that he is waiting for an opportunity to reopen Grace’s Café on campus.
“I know there was an online petition going on before we closed, with over one thousand signatures. If I am able to come back, that would be great,” Chao said.
In other business:
Il Forno is now open until 9 p.m.
The Chef’s Kitchen, the pop-up Mexican restaurant upstairs in West Union, is deciding on what other rotations of cuisine they can offer and will present their rotations to DUSDAC on a later date.
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