Local sports bar Satisfaction has emerged as the frontrunner to fill the final open space in the Merchants-on-Points food delivery program.
Members of Duke University Student Dining Advisory Committee singled the restaurant out as a top choice to join the MOP program. In order for Satisfaction to officially join, a contract with Duke Dining will need to be finalized, with the earliest possible start date for delivery around Thanksgiving. The decision comes exactly a week after sushi restaurant Sushi Love began delivery through MOP after finalizing its contract earlier in October.
"The big thing with Sati's is that they provide a late-night option that isn't pizza," said DUSDAC co-chair Gregory Lahood, a senior.
Members also noted that Satisfaction, which is open until 11 p.m. on weeknights and midnight on weekends, has a wide range of options on its menu and is well-known and generally well-liked among students.
DUSDAC members sampled items from Satisfaction's menu last week, as Thurston Lee, its kitchen manager, spoke about how excited he was by the possibility of becoming an MOP vendor. Lee explained that Satisfaction participated in Duke's MOP program from the late 1990s to 2007, when it voluntarily dropped the program because it could not handle the volume of demand.
"Satisfaction has done this in the past, and they’re very enthusiastic about trying it again,” said sophomore DUSDAC member Nicole Kozlak. "My vote is all for it."
Filling the vacancies in the MOP program has comprised the majority of DUSDAC's action this year. The school year began with one open spot in the program, and a second opening was created when MOP vendor The Pizzeria closed unexpectedly in September.
DUSDAC has considered a number of candidates this year —including Q Shack, Chubby's Tacos and wing joint Heavenly Buffaloes.
Representatives from Heavenly Buffaloes were slated to present at Monday's meeting, but took themselves out of consideration to be an MOP vendor because they could not fit the 18 percent commission fee into their business model.
In other business:
DUSDAC also discussed Sushi Love's performance as an MOP vendor so far, noting that student demand for the restaurant has been extremely high.
Junior Brian Taylor, DUSDAC co-chair, said Sushi Love averaged approximately 130 orders a day for five days, in what he described as a "crazy" first week. He noted that the restaurant has taken measures, including adding delivery drivers, to accommodate demand.
A pager system is now up and running in Café Edens, the popular dining spot formerly known as Pitchfork Provisions that was renovated and renamed this summer.
DUSDAC members said they had noticed the pagers working well during peak business hours, but noted that they were not used when the restaurant was less crowded.
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