As the Green Bay Packers and the New England Patriots prepare for the Superbowl, University Dining Services is planning a main event of its own: The Devil's Den, a student-managed sports bar replacing the Kudzu Tavern on Central Campus, will hold its grand opening on the evening of the big game.
Jim Wulforst, director of dining services, said that Jan. 26 will serve as a special preview of the new restaurant. In addition to serving an all-you-can-eat buffet-including many of the Den's planned menu items along with food supplied by various Merchants on Points vendors-Wulforst said patrons will be able to view both the men's basketball game versus Maryland and the Superbowl on four wide-screen projection televisions and 10 other large monitors throughout the restaurant.
The grand opening and three other invitation-only special events that Wulforst called "soft openings" are designed to test out the menu and the facility to make sure the operation will run smoothly. "After four days of operation," he said, "we should have all of the bugs worked out."
Joe Pietrantoni, associate vice president for auxiliary services, said that dining officials need the soft openings to make sure that the sports-bar formula works. "It will give us a chance to get a feel for the place," he said. "Is the atmosphere right? Can everyone socially interact and enjoy all of the sports?"
The Devil's Den will open for regular business starting Feb. 6, with lunch and dinner service Thursday through Sunday and special theme buffets on other game days.
In an attempt to avoid many of the problems that led to the ultimate failure of the Kudzu Tavern, Wulforst and the managers of the Devil's Den said they are looking to improve significantly upon the quality of the food and draw people to the sports bar through their enthusiasm for University sports teams.
Trinity senior Michael Mittman, student co-manager of the Devil's Den and a former manager of the Kudzu Tavern, said that unlike the Kudzu, the Devil's Den will keep people coming back. "We're going to create some excitement with our new theme and a better menu," Mittman said.
He added that the sports bar is designed to target a broader cross-section of the University community than Central Campus eateries of the past. "We're trying to hit the whole campus," he said. "The Kudzu Tavern and the Pub focused on drinking beer. Now we're going to emphasize more good food and sports and draw the whole community."
Among the items to be included on the Devil's Den menu are potato skins, buffalo wings, hamburgers, cheese steak sandwiches, grilled chicken sandwiches and chili. Wulforst said that prices for food, available on food points, should range from $1.50 to $7.50. The restaurant's bar will be relocated to the center of the floor, where it will offer eight beers on tap as well as a wide selection of bottled beers.
To provide a motivating incentive for the students who will manage and staff the Devil's Den, Wulforst said the entire staff will be paid a commission on sales. He said a percentage of the restaurant's profits, yet to be determined, will be put back into a pool from which staff members will be paid based on the number of hours they have worked. "It will force us to serve good food in an expeditious fashion," Wulforst said. "The staff is going to want to push sales."
Mittman said the commission system is a great idea. "This gives us the motivation to work hard," he said. "It makes us feel more like a team."
Two hundred advance tickets for the grand opening will be available for $6.50 starting Jan. 22 at the Page Box Office. An additional 100 tickets will be available for $8.00 at the door Jan. 26.
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