Week after week, community members living and working on East Campus say they find themselves in an all-to-familiar dilemma: they are hungry, but there is nowhere they want to eat. Dissatisfied with the limited hours and dining options on East, students often choose to travel to West Campus, order from among the various Merchants on Points or even rely on vending machines for their meals.
In response to this dissatisfaction, Duke Dining Services is investigating the possibility of putting a new food vendor on East Campus next fall. Currently, the most likely option is a Subway kiosk located in Trinity Cafe, the upstairs lounge or the downstairs lobby of the East Campus Union--a project that Duke Dining Services Director Jim Wulforst said has been a long time in the making.
"Three years ago, the original focus was to have Subway on East because first-year students wanted a good brand there to compliment Trinity Cafe," Wulforst said. "We didn't have the money to launch it there at the time, so we put it on West. But there's a renewed interest in putting something on East."
Wulforst, however, emphasized that while Subway is a strong option, student interest will play a large part in determining the type of vendor Dining Services chooses.
"Trinity [Cafe] was created in response to student feedback, and that's what we're looking at now," Wulforst said. "I think ARAMARK [Corp.] can bring Subway to East pretty easily, but I think we need to think just beyond having to duplicate things and keep focus on having unique, unusual concepts. The Duke University Student Dining Advisory Committee knows what's kind of hip in the area, and they will make recommendations based on student feedback."
Students can submit ideas and feedback about vendors on the DUSDAC website. East Campus Council Chair Joel Kliksberg, however, said many students have already suggested to ECC what sort of new dining option they want.
"People want fast, healthy food--that's essentially it," said Kliksberg, a freshman. "A Subway-like option would be fabulous."
Some students, however, do not like the concept of a kiosk-style, fast-food vendor.
"I think there needs to be a place where you can sit down, like at a restaurant, and relax," freshman Jenny Feldman said. "Part of eating is the dining experience."
Other students feel that Subway might offer too limited of a menu to appeal to a broad spectrum of students.
"I think you need something that will fit a lot of people's tastes," freshman Megan Erickson said. "A cafe kind of place where there are a variety of options would be better. It would be really nice if there was something comparable to The Loop."
For some students, however, it is not so much the type of food as it is the hours of the new vendor's operations that would matter.
"Right now, there is no way to get dinner on Friday or Saturday nights," freshman Tyler Green said. "Where are kids who don't have cars supposed to eat? If [the University] is going to provide food the rest of the week, they need to do it on weekends, too."
Wulforst said that in addition to evaluating this sort of student interest and feedback during the investigative process, Dining Services will also assess the financial feasibility of each proposed vendor and ultimately choose "a concept that is right for East Campus." According to students, Kliksberg said, this decision cannot come soon enough.
"Students have been waiting, and are still waiting, for better quality food on East Campus."
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