Off-campus eateries have two new competitors.
With last week's opening of T.G.I. Friday's and this Friday's debut of Chipotle, students may find themselves drawn to Erwin Road for their next meal.
"I'm pretty excited that T.G.I. and Chipotle are opening," sophomore Albert Huh said. "I've heard a lot of great things about them from people out-of-state."
T.G.I. Friday's General Manager Bruce Jantella said he has already seen both Duke students and Durham families dine at the restaurant.
"We truly feel that we're here to serve the community," he said. "We hold true and blue to our standards. We have very high-quality food and beverages, and we look forward to bringing that to Erwin."
Although the restaurant has been well-received by the community, during the its first days of operation freshman Taylor Fleming said service was less than stellar.
"There were a lot of people around, and [the waiters] couldn't get our food out in time, so we got our food like 45 minutes later," she said. "We had a party of 12, and everyone got their food except for three of us, so we waited a little too long."
Next door to the American chain restaurant, Chipotle will open its grills and build-your-own burrito bar to the public this Friday. But eager diners have already walked into the unopened restaurant, only to find workers preparing the storefront for its upcoming debut, Chipotle Area Manager Peter Blank said.
Its location off of Central Campus is ideal for the restaurant due to its proximity to Duke and the hospitals, Blank added.
"Historically speaking, the backbone of Chipotle has been college students," he said. "I consider the hospital an asset. Our food is not health food, but healthful.... When we are around medical facilities, they are some of our best customers."
The restaurant also offers other, healthier choices for students who are watching their waistlines and may find a calorie-rich burrito from Chipotle unappealing, Blank said.
"We have options from a salad to a burrito bowl that takes away the tortilla and reduces calories," he said. "But it's an abundant amount of food, that's why it's a good value."
Junior Meredith Newmark said she is looking forward to having a Chipotle location so close to her Central apartment.
"I'm excited about Chipotle coming," she said. "I think they have some of the best burritos, probably even better than Cosmic [Cantina], which is saying something because I love Cosmic."
Although students said they are excited for the new options, some noted that the location may prevent them from frequenting the restaurants.
"It's hard to get there without a car sometimes," Fleming said. "But it is kind of nice to get off campus and be able to get some different food."
Others said they may not be frequent visitors of the new restaurants because they do not accept food points. Jantella added that because T.G.I. Friday's does not deliver, students may choose to eat at other eateries that do.
"I guess that sounds pretty cool that we have options off campus to eat, but honestly, I don't have the cash to spend off food points," freshman Kirsten Moy said.
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