Two new dining locations will be available in the Bryan Center in time for the upcoming fall semester.
The addition of Cup A Joe, a local coffee shop, and Lemon Grass, a Thai noodle restaurant based in Sacramento, Calif., will be completed Aug. 15, sources confirmed Thursday.
Lemon Grass will occupy space currently used by the Duke University Union and the Office of Student Activities and Facilities, forcing OSAF to rearrange and share the location with the restaurant, OSAF Director Christopher Roby said. Lemon Grass management confirmed the plans to open on campus.
Cup A Joe plans to move in adjacent to the Gothic Bookshop and directly across from Lemon Grass's new location.
The coffee shop will be accessible directly from the West Campus Plaza as well as from the bookshop, said Kathy World, the store's operations manager, adding that she does not believe that Cup A Joe will bring more business since the book store currently offers free coffee.
"We have been promised that we will not lose any shelf space or any ambiance by them taking the space of ours that they're taking," she said. "And as long as that happens, we're perfectly happy."
In September, Director of Dining Services Jim Wulforst told The Chronicle that the administration was committed to bringing a Starbucks store to campus, and that plans to introduce a store were under way. At the time, Starbucks officials who toured the campus considered the Gothic Bookshop and the space in the Bryan Center now likely to be filled by Lemon Grass as their top choices of real estate.
With the addition of the new restaurant, DUU will be forced to move to the current Duke Performances office, said junior Chamindra Goonewardene, Union president-elect and Major Attractions committee chair.
"I'm not too concerned because we're just moving 30, 35 feet," Goonewardene said. "But we are losing a pretty prime spot of real estate on campus, though I think it's of some importance to have more dining options for students."
DUU Executive Vice President Lauren Maisel said although the loss of high visibility and transparency to students on the plaza may pose problems for the Union in the coming year, she is still excited by the possibility of having more dining choices on campus.
Duke Performances Director Aaron Greenwald said his organization, which will be ousted by the Union in the shuffling, will move its office to the Smith Warehouse off Campus Drive.
"We're going to be having a great space in the Smith Warehouse," he said. "But the thing is, we won't have the proximity to the general student population, and we're going to have to work harder to interact with students."
Despite being forced to relocate, Greenwald said he is enthusiastic about the additions and recognize their benefits.
"Dining is really important to the undergraduate population. It's a driving force," Greenwald said. "Especially with a population that is not able to spend a lot of time off campus, having another eating option is useful. I don't think that the administration said, 'Oh, we'll build a restaurant that will be attractive to students.' I think they're trying to answer a student desire."
Vice President of Campus Services Kemel Dawkins and Wulforst declined to comment.
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