Duke’s food truck rotation recently saw the addition of two trucks, which bring with them a variety of casual options and Mexican cuisine.
At its Monday meeting, the Duke University Student Dining Advisory Committee announced that Bam Pow Chow food truck will be making its Duke premiere and that Captain Ponchos is returning to the food truck lineup. DUSDAC also heard about the dining accommodations that will be made for Duke’s recent acquisition of 300 Swift apartment complex.
Robert Coffey, director of dining services, called the re-introduction of Captain Ponchos “very exciting.” He noted that the addition of the two trucks still leaves one opening in what is typically a seven-truck rotation.
Captain Ponchos’ menu includes tacos, burritos and quesadillas, and they recently opened a restaurant in Chapel Hill, according to their website. They will be on Swift Avenue from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday.
Bam Pow Chow will bring to campus items like flank steak and shrimp fritters, according to their online menu. They will be in the Kilgo lot from 7:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday.
Coffey also explained accommodations for the students who will be living in 300 Swift next year. Duke will create a café in the apartment complex to take the place of the common kitchen area that is currently there. The cafe could have a prep kitchen across the street, he said.
“We want to be able to offer some light entrees for breakfast in addition to grab-and-go lunches and dinners,” Coffey said.
DUSDAC members complimented the versatility of the Café in West Union, noting that something similar would be a nice feature for 300 Swift.
In other business:
Brian Taylor, Trinity ’16 and chair of DUSDAC, announced that the Chirba Chirba Dumpling truck is “now officially gone." Coffey added that Dining is waiting on the Belgian Waffle Crafters truck “to see if they are going to reinstate.”
DUSDAC members also tried food from the Oak City Fish and Chips food truck, which offers a menu of Pacific whiting, calamari shrimp and seasoned fries.
Junior Marcelo Zapata said that the truck could fill the void created by a “significant lack of seafood on campus,” and others noted that ideally, the food truck rotation will fill niches not covered by West Union. If they choose to add it, the food truck would be on campus next academic year.
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Bre is a senior political science major from South Carolina, and she is the current video editor, special projects editor and recruitment chair for The Chronicle. She is also an associate photography editor and an investigations editor. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief and local and national news department head.
Twitter: @brebradham
Email: breanna.bradham@duke.edu