After undergoing vast changes to both its design and menu, the Oak Room will reopen Oct. 1 under the management of ARAMARK Corp. and local restaurateur Maggie Radzwiller, Trinity '77.
The physical renovations, which include the installation of a wine bar in the restaurant's waiting area, as well as new furniture, carpet and walls, are meant to create an "upscale atmosphere," said senior Jason Freedman, co-chair of the Duke University Student Dining Advisory Committee.
Dave Randolph, ARAMARK's district manager for Duke, described the Oak Room's new look as "eclectic but in keeping with the traditional Oak Room style. It will have a much fresher look."
There will be fewer dishes on the menu, but all of them will be made from scratch, whereas in the past some dishes were pre-made, Randolph said.
"We're talking about producing completely fresh product," Radzwiller said.
"I've spoken with people in the Oak Room who wouldn't ever eat there. Doing fewer items and making them all Oa hit' is where it's at. Who wants mediocre?"
Among the new items are a seared ahi tuna dish and an appetizer of fresh mussels, with old favorites like hamburgers, steak and lobster returning.
Entrees will range in price from $7 to $23, with daily specials at both lunch and dinner.
The Oak Room will also have extended hours, serving dinner on Saturday nights and brunch on the weekends. The staff will continue to include student waiters.
In June 2000, Dining Services announced plans to privatize the 55-year-old Oak Room after a Duke Student Government-sponsored referendum garnered student support. But the decision was met with so many complaints from faculty and alumni that Director of Dining Services Jim Wulforst retracted it.
"We're bringing [the Oak Room] to the level everyone's wanted without having to privatize it," Wulforst said.
Originally, the Oak Room was scheduled to open yesterday, but since the University hired Radzwiller just last month, that deadline was pushed back. The restaurant has been closed since May.
"ARAMARK has hired [Radzwiller] to bring the culinary expertise that she has to Duke's campus," Wulforst explained.
"She needs extra time to work with the kitchen staff and students."
In Radzwiller's 20 years of hospitality management and food service experience, she has been the designer and contractor for Pop's, and most recently the owner and managing partner of Brightleaf 905. Radzwiller got her start in the food industry as an undergraduate by working in Duke's dining halls to help pay for her education.
Radzwiller and ARAMARK are also making improvements to the quality of food, service and presentation in the Faculty Commons.
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