Looking to spice up your lunch schedule? The latest restaurant in the Brodhead Center can do just that.
Big Bowl, which was part of the initial rotation of restaurants when the Brodhead Center opened in 2016, has returned to West Campus after a year-long hiatus. Situated on the second floor as a pop-up restaurant in the Chef's Kitchen—like it was last year—Big Bowl serves Mediterrean cuisine with a special emphasis on providing vegan and vegetarian options.
Featuring unique items such as quinoa, mesclun, falafel, artichoke dip and baba ghanoush, Big Bowl has obtained the reputation, along with year-round Sprout, as a haven for the health-conscious as well as food connoisseurs.
Pop-Up restaurants are not meant to be permanent fixtures, nor do they provide meals for the duration of regular business hours. Big Bowl operates within predetermined lunch hours, generally 11:00am-2:00pm, and announces its days of operation before the week begins.
Previous pop-ups have served American comfort food and Peruvian cuisine. Although these vendors do not have a contract beyond a few weeks with Duke Dining, overwhelming popularity can lead to a long-term deal.
Indeed, Sazón first opened as a Latin American pop-up kitchen selling rice bowls and wraps in a traditionally Latin American manner.
The intent of these Pop-Up eateries is to provide an experience reflective of the cultural diversity on campus, wrote Robert Coffey, executive director of dining services, in an email.
“The Pop-Up goal is to be organic in its planning for offerings to encompass current culinary trends and customer request,” Coffey wrote.
As expected, students have frequented Big Bowl since its return. Senior Nikhil Sridhar, also a columnist for The Chronicle, has been at Duke since the Brodhead Center opened its doors. Sridhar appreciates the variety the dining hall brings.
“I don’t see any reason to be opposed to more choice at [the Brodhead Center],” Sridhar said.
Sophomore Catherine McMillan, also a columnist for The Chronicle, values the relatively low prices of Big Bowl, the nutritional benefits and the efficiency of eating a sandwich en route to class.
“So long as it’s affordable and gets the job done, I’m good,” McMillan said.
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