Even now, after time has passed and a new vendor has settled in, we cannot walk across campus without being recognized, stopped and asked, "What happened to Sanford Deli?" Good question.
Please know that if we had been given the answer, we would surely share it. It is important to us that our customers know we employed every resource within our means to submit the strongest proposal we could to Duke Dining to continue to operate the Sanford Deli. By any professional standard, our proposal was outstanding. It was complete with sincere and supportive letters of reference from many directors, faculty and administrative staff of the Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy.
How surprising (and sad) for us that after five years of loyal commitment to the Duke Dining Services vision for a privatized campus-dining program, we were simply told to get out. An expression of thanks from Duke Dining Services for our energy, the spirit of community we contributed or even just for the good food we offered would have been gracious and kind. We were not one of the polished corporations that are in other food service locations on campus. Obviously a mom and pop sort of place, we were never deemed worthy of the effort or the support of Duke Dining. Business with Duke Dining was a thankless experience for us.
We cannot in honesty and good faith share with you why the relationship with Duke Dining failed. Somewhere along the line, however, it failed. We tried. We poured our hearts into building the business of the Sanford Deli. We were naive enough to believe that our effort would be worth it and we would be rewarded. Under our operation, the Sanford Deli far exceeded sales budgets. Each year of operation, we at the very least doubled the sales required by our contract.
Along with the rest of the Duke community, we read in The Chronicle that the reason we were not chosen to continue to operate the Sanford Deli was because of the voice raised by the Sanford Institute. They wanted someone else. Both the support of reference letters that were part of our formal bid proposal and the overwhelming outpouring of e-mails, letters and calls from our faithful customers of the Sanford Institute that followed that article tell us otherwise.
We write this letter because we never had the opportunity to say good-bye. Thanks to all of you that supported us with your business. Thanks to all of you that shared your friendship, your stories, your photos for The Wall, your appreciation of smooth jazz, your triumphs and your fears. Thanks for choosing a public policy elective so that you could have your favorite sandwich after your lecture! You made our 5 years at the Sanford Deli a special memory to forever cherish. We met each other, married, bought our first home and had our first two children while serving you as the operators of that special campus place. We apprecaiate your fierce loyalty.
Denise and Christopher McMahan
The writers are the former
operators of The Sanford Deli.
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