The Duke Merchants on Points program plans to introduce four new eateries to its delivery options: Dale's Inidan Cuisine, Mad Hatter's Café and Bakery Shop, The Q Shack and Chai's Noodle Bar and Bistro.
The Duke Merchants on Points program would like to introduce four new recruits: Dale’s Indian Cuisine, Mad Hatter’s Café and Bakery Shop, The Q Shack, and Chai’s Noodle Bar and Bistro. These vendors, once their food points membership is activated, will be welcomed with open arms by Duke students, many of whom have become increasingly restless with the current on-campus dining situation.
Junior David Gastwirth, president of the Duke University Student Dining Advisory Committee, acknowledged the University’s need for new vendors. “We are concentrating on serving the needs of a very diverse student body, needs that can’t be met by our on-campus providers,” he said.
To become an off-campus dining provider for Duke students, vendors must possess the appropriate health department certification, business license and a certificate of insurance. Also, the restaurant must have an “A” rating in sanitation standards from the Durham County Health Department. They must then sign a contract with Jim Wulforst, director of dining services. “Currently, the only contract I have seen is from The Q Shack,” Wulforst said. “The other three are expected to formally commit sometime between now and spring break.”
The four new merchants were assembled by Garrett Bean, a junior who has also received approval from DUSDAC to launch a web-based ordering system that will allow students to order their dinner on the Blackboard system. The initiative is in the early stages of site layout, design and integration into Blackboard. “We want to take the next step,” Wulforst explained. “We hope to become more technologically advanced, and this new system will accomplish that.”
Students said the time is ripe for MOP expansion, as many feel that—despite numerous on-campus eateries—a lack in food variety is causing dissatisfaction with on-campus dining.
Sophomore Amy Hamilton sees the new vendors as a valuable addition. “The places most accessible to students don’t have enough variety. I mean, two of the restaurants closest to us on West Campus are both Alpines,” she said. “[The new vendors] are the four best places to eat off campus. I especially love Dale’s—having Indian food on campus once a week in the Great Hall is definitely not enough.”
One merchant has recognized students’ desire for variety as a business opportunity. “It’s about revenue,” Dan Ferguson, manager of The Q Shack said. “We can’t know for sure if there will be profits, but we’re giving it a shot.”
Three of the four new merchants, however, insist that monetary gain did not serve as their motivation to join MOP, which averages 750 to 775 weekday patrons and 860 to 880 weekend patrons each day. Preti Singh, manager of Dale’s Indian Cuisine, said that his business joined the program to fulfill unmet dining needs. “Students had a demand for vegan and vegetarian dishes that were not being offered on campus, and many of them requested our help,” Singh said.
Olivia Chetney, manager of Mad Hatter’s Café and Bakery Shop, described an equal attention to students’ health needs. “We wanted to be able to provide students with healthier, higher quality food so that they would have more options than the usual fast food,” she said.
Most on-campus eateries, especially those whose primary dining sales occur during lunchtime, believe they are not in danger of decreasing profits. “Our customer base is pretty much set,” Loop manager Dennis Lane said. “The first ten orders of the day are always made by the same kids, and we know the number of students who come for lunch each day probably won’t change.”
And despite the added competition of another Indian food service, P.C. Davis, who serves Indian cuisine in the Great Hall, is certain that his business “will not be affected.”
Students suggested that if anyone has cause for concern, it is off-campus vendors who will now face greater competition in the field of food delivery.
“Restaurants like Mad Hatter’s and Dale’s offer food that our old providers don’t so they will probably take away some business without being too much of a threat,” predicted freshman Ian Cassidy. “But restaurants that offer the same food—only better—may take all the business. I mean, Chai’s is going to kill Grace’s [Café].”
The focus of the dining committee will now shift to improving dining on East Campus.
“What we are lacking right now is a late-night option on East,” Wulforst said. “Our goal is to keep hungry Duke kids happy, and the next step for us to take will be to make certain that freshman have more late-night venues at their disposal.”
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.