Students may soon be able to satisfy their Italian and Mexican cravings, as Duke University Student Dining Advisory Committee looks to add new Merchants-on-Points vendors and food trucks.
After experiencing difficulty contacting MOP vendor Satisfaction Bar and Grill, DUSDAC is looking to add a new restaurant to the lineup. Some possibilities the committee discussed at their Monday meeting include Monuts Donuts, Dunkin Donuts, Tijuana Flats, Don Marcelo's and Pomodoro. Pizza Mia was also mentioned as a possible option to return to MOP, after departing from the program last summer.
DUSDAC co-chair Brian Taylor, a junior, said that the committee would have a representative from Tijuana Flats— Tex-Mex chain on Ninth Street—come present briefly to the committee in the coming weeks. The eatery has demonstrated a serious interest in joining the program, he said.
The search for a new vendor comes after a semester filled with MOP decisions for DUSDAC. Local sports bar Satisfaction was voted an MOP vendor in November, two weeks after local sushi place Sushi Love was added to the MOP program—a move so popular that demand overwhelmed the restaurant in its first few days of delivery. But logistical issues meant that Satisfaction was never officially added to the program. Prior to the additions of Sushi Love and Satisfaction, there had been two open spaces in the MOP program since September—one that opened this summer when Vine Sushi and Thai decided not to participate in the program, and one that opened in September with the unexpected closure of MOP vendor The Pizzeria.
Some options for food trucks include two Mexican eateries—Amigosan and Taco Grande—and Bang Bang Banh Mi, a gluten-free option.
In other business:
Director of Dining Services Robert Coffey said Penn Pavilion may play host to ESPN’s morning talk show—First Take—on Feb. 18 for the men's basketball game against the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
The show is hosted by Stephen A. Smith, Skip Bayless and Cari Champion and will run from 10 a.m. to noon. Penn Pavilion can hold up to 405 people at one time, which may become an issue for filming if attendance at the event exceeds the maximum building capacity.
Talks for hosting the event are ongoing, but will likely be finalized soon as the game approaches, Coffey said.
After a vote by DUSDAC members via email last week, the most popular name for the upcoming West Union pub was Devil’s Krafthouse. The name beat out 1924 Crafthouse and 1838 Crafthouse. The committee noted that the pub’s name could be stylized with a “K” instead of a “C” to honor men's basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski.
Construction on West Union is set to be completed in Spring 2016.
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