Students and faculty said the restaurant's late-night hours make it a valuable addition to the area. Blue and white corn tortilla chips and a slew of on-the-house margaritas welcomed people to last night's official kick-off of Mad 4 Mex, a funky Mexican restaurant which opened this week behind the 3401 Walnut Street complex. With oiled, leather-bound menus featuring branded cacti waiting on each table, restaurant-goers said they were impressed with Mad 4 Mex's wide variety of burritos, enchiladas, soups, salads, appetizers and extensive vegetarian cuisine. And many said they were especially satisfied with the cost of the food, with nothing on the menu exceeding $9 and a special half-off deal offered between 11 p.m. and 1 a.m. every night. The restaurant -- a branch of the Pittsburgh-based Big Burrito, Inc. -- opened for business Monday, filling a space which has remained vacant since the Italian Bistro closed due to financial difficulties in July 1994. Restaurant co-owners Tom Baron and Juno Yoon said they are excited to serve the University community and are not concerned with past crime problems in University City or the difficulties involved with filling the vacant space. "This particular area doesn't even make me think of crime -- being from New York City, [Juno and I] are not really fazed by it," Baron said. University officials explained that Mad 4 Mex's late night hours make it a valuable addition to University City. "I think the most important thing Mad 4 Mex can do for us is create vibrance on the streets and create the kind of atmosphere where people are not afraid to come out late at night with their friends," Executive Vice President John Fry said at the party last night. Administrators also heralded the restaurant opening's as a first step in their plan of attracting new business to the University City area, which will soon feature new retail and dining in Sansom Common, an upscale retail park. "I think it's another great restaurant choice which will complement La Terrasse, and it's a sign of what's yet to come," said Jack Shannon, the University's top economic development official. And Director of Management Development Annie McKee added that she'd "like to see us work to open up the boundaries of the University of Pennsylvania so the surrounding community becomes a part of us, and I love that the University is committing." Students -- who have long expressed displeasure over the area's lack of late-night retail -- said they were excited about having another restaurant open past midnight. Eat at Joe's, a 24-hour diner, will also open this fall. "I think it's a great idea to have a restaurant whose kitchen is going to stay open late -- I also think it's as good as bring the diner here, but the food [at Mad 4 Mex] is better," said Jen Shook, a College junior present at the kick-off celebration. Yoon and Baron opened their first Mad Mex restaurant near the University of Pittsburgh in 1993, and have opened six additional theme restaurants in the Pittsburgh area. The company's success received a front-page profile in The Wall Street Journal, which reported that Big Burrito recorded sales of $6.8 million in 1996, along with a net income of $200,000, and is expected to reach $10 million by the end of this year. "We were looking for another market, and we knew Penn and Drexel would provide it," Yoon said. The restaurant is open daily from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m.
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