What happened to "Free Cake Friday"?
Though students miss the mid-day morsels, re-establishing the end-of-the week treat will likely take some time.
The introduction of Caribbean Kitchen was meant to signal the return of Victoria's Sweets and the crowd-favorite dessert samples. But the cart the restaurants shared is now temporarily closed.
"Let's call it a hiatus," said Kevin Pariss, owner of the Caribbean Kitchen cart.
The original partnership between Victoria's Sweets and Caribbean Kitchen recently dissolved, forcing Pariss to shut down the cart while he worked out legal issues. He said he is still committed to serving Duke students and is sorry they are currently missing out on his authentic Caribbean cuisine.
Caribbean Kitchen had planned to let Victoria's Sweets control the dessert offerings of their cart, but Pariss mentioned that they will begin offering Caribbean-themed ice cream, with papaya and rum raisin flavors, and Caribbean cookies and pastries.
The rest of the items on the menu will remain the same as they were when the cart was previously open, but prices will drop.
"We know price was a major concern for a lot of folks," said Pariss. "We offer restaurant-quality food, but we've tried to address these concerns. Our goal is to do what's in students' best interest."
Pariss added that he hopes to have "a grand reopening of sorts" sometime next week. The cart's hours will be from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
By the time Caribbean Kitchen re-opens, the LocoPops cart will be closed for the winter. Sumner Bicknell, LocoPops founder, said this past Saturday would be the last day of LocoPops on the Plaza until Spring. The cart will re-open as early as mid-February or during March at the latest, she added.
Director of Dining Services Jim Wulforst said Joe van Gogh coffee shop has expressed interest in carrying LocoPops' products during the winter. Bicknell said LocoPops is in favor of this possibility but has yet to confirm the agreement. Nothing will take the place of the LocoPops stand, Wulforst added.
A new portable eatery, however, has set up shop in the Kilgo Quadrangle firelane. OnlyBurger, a restaurant truck offering burgers, veggie burgers and skinny salt and peppered fries, began selling their products at Duke two weeks ago.
"They have been testing different locations on campus, seeing if they can drum up some business," said Wulforst. "They've had some good days here, and they really love the Duke community, so they're trying to find a place to fit in."
Just a short walk down the stairs from the Plaza, OnlyBurger is content with its current location, Wulforst added. But Manager Mena Fanous said most students don't realize OnlyBurger is on campus, and he thinks that will change.
OnlyBurger is based out of the kitchen of Durham Catering Company, a home-run business. Its hours are typically 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Fanous added that they will consider opening late at night when business picks up.
"The catering company does a lot of parties on Duke's campus, so we thought we'd give [OnlyBurger] a try," said Fanous. "We figure students will love our burgers."
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