The newest Merchants-on-Points vendor could provide students with some Tex-Mex flavor.
A proposal from local Mexican restaurant Tijuana Flats was well received by the Duke University Student Dining Advisory Committee Monday. Satisfaction Bar and Grill, which was voted an MOP vendor in November but never launched as part of the program, is officially no longer a vendor, said DUSDAC co-chair Brian Taylor, a junior. That leaves committee members deciding between three potential vendors— Tijuana Flats, Rudino’s Pizza and Grinders and Dunkin' Donuts—to fill the remaining spot for this semester.
The committee had previously met with representatives from Rudino's and is planning on meeting to discuss Dunkin' next week.
"We’re not your typical taco or burrito place," said Tijuana Flats area supervisor Adam Moore. "We like to consider ourself outrageously fresh—everything is prepared in house. The chicken is trimmed, the vegetables are diced and the guacamole is fresh."
Moore emphasized the importance of "good, genuine" service from store workers, promising that students would be well taken care of.
He also pointed out a number of deals that the restaurant offers—including 50 percent off for Duke students on Wednesdays and "throwback Thursdays," when a drink, chips and burrito costs customers $5.49, the same price as when the chain opened in 1995.
DUSDAC members gave the food served—including tacos, burritos and chips and salsa—favorable responses across the board.
"It was surprisingly good—I wouldn't necessarily have expected Tijuana Flats to be so fresh, but it was," Taylor said.
Some on the committee worried that students do not see Tijuana as one of the most popular off-campus eateries.
But Sarah Collins, a senior DUSDAC member from Florida—where Tijuana began and has the most stores—pointed out that it may just not be as well-known in North Carolina, where it's only now growing.
“Everyone loves it in Florida. Everyone goes—my mom goes with her clients, I go with my friends. It’s good, fast and fresh,” she said.
The restaurant already delivers in Durham through the TakeOut Central delivery service, but this would be the first time it has delivered to a college campus. Items on the menu will be offered at their regular prices, and a small delivery fee will be charged.
The MOP line-up has undergone several changes this year. The program began the year with one vacancy, as Vine Sushi and Thai dropped out of the program before beginning its first year as a vendor. Another vacancy opened in September, when vendor The Pizzeria unexpectedly closed. After considering several different local vendors, DUSDAC settled on local sushi restaurant Sushi Love to fill the first opening in November—a move that proved popular, with demand overwhelming the restaurant in the first week of delivery.
Several weeks later, DUSDAC selected Satisfaction to fill the final opening in the line-up, and it appeared that the MOP program would open the Spring semester with a full slate of vendors. But difficulties arose in communicating with Satisfaction, and DUSDAC began exploring the possibility of selecting another option two weeks ago.
Last week, the committee discussed six options—Monuts Donuts, Don Marcelo's, Pomodoro and Pizza Mia, in addition to Tijuana Flats and Dunkin' Donuts.
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