In May, millionaire Tim Gurner chastised millennials, saying they will not be able to afford to buy a home because they spend too much money on avocados. He’s not wrong. Any expert on millennials will tell you that they love the green superfruit, high prices and all. Since Duke is full of avocado-consuming millennials, The Chronicle decided to find out some more about their popularity at Duke.
Although not every vendor at Duke serves them, students searching for a meal including avocados can find them at a variety of venues across campus.
Thirteen different vendors sell avocados, though West Campus is clearly the avocado hub with 10 of the 13 locations. In the Brodhead Center alone, Au Bon Pain, the Café, Gyotaku, the Chef’s Kitchen, the Commons and the Devil’s Krafthouse all feature the pitted fruit. Elsewhere on West Campus, avocados are sold at Cafe Edens, The Loop, Twinnie's and even McDonald's—what, you’ve never tried the pico guacamole chicken sandwich? Yeah, me neither. Finally, students can enjoy a nice avocado product at the Nasher Museum Cafe, Dame's Express and Trinity Cafe.
So, how many avocados do some of these vendors use? Number one on the leaderboard was Au Bon Pain, which orders a whopping 500-650 avocados per week and uses 90-100 per day for 15-20 of its menu items. Gyotaku also needs quite a few for its sushi rolls, using an estimated 40-60 per day. The Devil’s Krafthouse purchases 24 avocados per week for vinaigrette and six cases of guacamole. And five to 10 of the green fruits per day is all that’s needed at Twinnie's, as they are only featured on the Cobb salad and in the avocado mayo.
Most vendors did not express too much concern over rising avocado prices. However, Dame's Express had to change its order due to the cost increase.
“We purchase avocado weekly, we used to buy it fresh, now we buy frozen guacamole in 16 ounces containers,” a representative from the restaurant wrote in an email. “It is quite good and we have had no complaints. We did this due to the price increase from the hurricanes, as well as the unavailability.”
The other vendors said that for now, they will not raise prices on their menu options featuring this delectable superfood. Avocados—which are technically berries—are full of health benefits, from healthy fats to vitamins and minerals galore. Regardless, Duke vendors use hundreds of avocados per day to satiate everyone’s endless hunger for them. Go and enjoy as many as your heart desires—or afford a home. Your choice.
McDonalds, the Nasher Museum Cafe, Cafe Edens, the Brodhead Center Café, the Chef’s Kitchen and the Commons did not respond in time for publication.
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Jake Satisky is a Trinity senior and the digital strategy director for Volume 116. He was the Editor-in-Chief for Volume 115 of The Chronicle.