It's as though the newest on-campus eatery was designed to break all of Dining Services' recent promises.
After plans to bring a West-Coast-based Thai noodle restaurant to the Bryan Center fell through last May, Director of Dining Services Jim Wulforst reassured students that its substitute would not be a "neon, fast-food type" restaurant. He more explicitly stated that it would not be a Panda Express.
Construction isn't complete, but it's obviously neon, fast-food and Panda Express.
Wulforst promised students something "unique and different," in the form of Asian cuisine made from organic, locally grown products. Panda Express does not fit the bill by any stretch of the imagination. It may be a stretch to even classify the corporate fast-food franchise as "Asian cuisine."
The bizarre 180-degree reversal on the part of Dining Services is particularly disheartening considering the emphasis in recent years on the need to revamp and revitalize Duke dining culture. Panda Express is not yet just another unexciting fast food option. It represents a missed opportunity.
Though prime real estate may ultimately make Panda Express a popular-enough destination, its installment does nothing to address the dearth of quality venues and healthy fare available on campus. The 2007 Campus Culture Initiative Committee Steering Report confirmed that meals are key to shaping the undergraduate experience and cited student demand for decent sit-down dining options. Dining options are not just about food; when designed with the University mission in mind, they have the potential to enhance community life in a crucial way, fostering intellectual engagement and social inclusivity, as well as increased faculty-student interaction.
In all fairness, Wulforst has a long track record of being responsive to students' dining grievances and should be applauded for his willingness to implement changes. But the issue of whether or not the recent changes generally have been improvements is another animal altogether, as suggested by the food-court Panda on the Plaza.
An example of a sensible change is the move to make perennially popular Sitar available six days a week in the Great Hall, in clear response to high student demand. On the other hand, the choice of Panda Express is a large-scale mistake, involving expensive renovations and suggesting willful ignorance of what students want and what Duke dining could be. Not to mention, the Panda Express debacle is just the latest and most conspicuous in a string of broken promises.
Last February, Wulforst also promised to add three dining options on East over the summer, including a juice bar in Brodie Recreation Center, a 24-hour diner above the Marketplace and a late-night pizza-and-sub station inside the East Union building. The year has started, and nothing has materialized. Unfortunately, this failure to make good on grand plans isn't news; it's history-Wulforst has been promising to install a Quenchers-like juice bar in Brodie gym since March 2004.
Admittedly, the typical Duke student dining wish list is long. To start, students need to eat seven days a week, and decent weekend options, particularly Sunday brunch options, would be great. But wishers have reason to be wary-although quick to make promises, Dining Services has been slow to deliver.
For now, Wulforst is eating his words. And until he starts sticking to promises he can keep, students will be stuck eating takeout.
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