Food cart sales have nearly frozen over as a result of location changes in anticipation of West Union renovations.
Locopops can no longer afford to man its stand outside of the Penn Pavilion, due to decreased revenue as a result of the move. Previously, the frozen treats stand was located outside the West Union building, near the entrance to the Bryan Center plaza from the residential quad.
“Our business dropped 70 percent of sales on a weekly basis,” Locopops owner Summer Bicknell said.
The pops will still be available for purchase as Gus Megaloudis, The Greek Devil food cart owner, is currently manning the Locopops’ stand upon customer’s request.
“I made a deal with them so that they do not close down,” Megaloudis said. “I take over their stand but sell their pops through their account. I am already here so they do not have to pay an employee every day. She pays me by the pop, so she makes money and I make money.”
The three small plaza food stands—The Greek Devil, Locopops and JB Dogs—were moved from their former location outside West Union to next to the Penn Pavilion in early August to prepare for the closing of a portion of the Bryan Center plaza.
Currently, there is less foot traffic passing by the Penn Pavilion than there was through the plaza entrance, which is causing business for the food carts to suffer, Megaloudis said. He noted that his dedicated clientele keep him afloat, but if he was still at the entrance to the plaza, he would have a 50 percent increase in sales.
“Dining moved the food carts to the different location because the plaza is going to be closed, and Dining wanted the carts to get used to operating in that location before significant foot traffic is redirected there,” said Chris Taylor, co-chair of Duke University Student Dining Advisory Committee.
University administrators remain positive that sales will pick up once the entrance to the plaza is closed after Fall Break.
“At some point in the Fall, the entrance to the Bryan Center plaza will have to close,” said Rick Johnson, assistant vice president of student affairs for Housing, Dining and Residence Life. “It is the hope that some of the foot traffic will be redirected [towards the Pavilion].”
Despite current difficulties, Bicknell anticipated business will eventually return to former levels.
“Locopops annually stops running by late October and early November,” Bicknell said. “By Spring Break, foot traffic patterns should change pretty significantly and should allow us to have a full time staff member and full presence again.”
A former white-collar worker who ditched corporate America to pursue making Mexican-inspired popsicles, Bicknell opened the first Locopops location in Raleigh. The small operation quickly evolved into three fully operating stores throughout the Research Triangle Park with additional locations in Chapel Hill and Durham. The Locopops stand at Duke has been operating for the past seven years.
Megaloudis will run the Locopops stand until early November, but time will tell if Locopops will do well enough to stay on campus.
“Locopops has no desire to leave campus,” Bicknell said. “We hope the springtime will support us in continuing to be on Duke’s campus.”
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