Great Hall, Refectory, Blue Express and Subway: what do all these campus eateries have in common? Besides the fact that they are undoubtedly some of the healthiest and most popular food venues on campus, they all shut their doors to students for most of the weekend.
Duke is known for having remarkably health-conscious students and a vibrant weekend culture, but to look at the list of campus eateries open on weekends, one might think that the university is full of commuter students and fast-food junkies.
Approximately 2,500 students reside on West Campus, but the campus’ one traditional dining hall—The Great Hall—closes after lunch on Friday and does not reopen until Sunday dinner.
Many other favorite campus eateries are closed all day Saturday, or are only open for weekday breakfast and lunch. Thus, West Campus residents are left with fast food options such as McDonald’s, Panda Express and the Loop when the weekend rolls around.
Sophomore Keoni Kailmai commented that he did not see the reasoning behind closing campus eateries on the weekend.
“It’s not like students are disappearing,” he said.
One prominent void in the menu is the lack of weekend breakfast options. In 2000, Jim Wulforst, then director of Duke Dining Services, t0ld The Chronicle that the Great Hall would close for weekend brunch to save money.
He said that many students were only buying items such as “cold cereal, boiled eggs, and packaged products” that could be served more effectively elsewhere, and cited an “expanded menu” at Alpine Bagels as a way to fill the gap.
Alpine Bagels, however, does not attempt to replicate a traditional sit-down brunch. A student favorite for speedy mealtimes, Alpine serves breakfast sandwiches and yogurt parfaits for breakfast—all wrapped to-go.
Alpine Supervisor Mary Jackson said that Alpine sees a significant increase in student traffic on the weekend, with a steady rush from 11 a.m. to closing on Saturday and Sunday—evidence that the lack of open eateries pigeonhole students.
“I think there should be more [on-campus dining] on the weekends,” said sophomore Connie Deng, who says she often eats brunch in her room on the weekends.
“I like to have omelets, pancakes and bacon—typical breakfast food," she said. "And there’s nowhere on campus to get that.”
West campus’s newest restaurant, Pitchfork Provisions, has a full menu of hot breakfast items, but does not meet the needs of the many late-sleepers on campus, as they stop serving breakfast at 11 a.m.
The lack of options is especially surprising given that the 2007 Duke Campus Culture Initiative Report—a series of recommendations made to President Brodhead and the administration—cited a need to “change the Dining Services model so that operations are oriented towards community building among students.”
“Dining Services should not be run as a profit center, but rather be an investment…in the social environment of the community," the report added.
The administration articulated intentions to create dining options conducive with the report’s suggestions but so far, their efforts in community building have yet to extend to the weekend.
For now, Duke students will continue to grab-and-go, Friday through Sunday.
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