It's good to be (Papaya) King

For hot dog and smoothie fans, the 40th Street corridor's new Papaya King is a dream come true. Papaya King opened its doors for three hours yesterday, giving away free hot dogs and smoothies to anyone who wandered in. A long line of students and locals filled the small eatery minutes after the opening. Papaya King, serving hot dogs, smoothies and french fries, officially opens today. "This was an on-the-spot decision that we just made," General Manager David Wagner said of yesterday's free offerings. "We're showing that we're going to be a good neighbor," he added. "People will come in and get to know us a little bit." Papaya King was originally set to open in November, but the date was later changed to February. Chief Executive Officer Daniel Horan attributed the delays to construction difficulties. "In this case we lost a couple of days with the weather," Horan said. "We had a gas hookup problem. They're just construction details that make things take longer than you'd hope." But now that Papaya King has finally arrived, Horan has high hopes. "I think students will like Papaya King a lot," he said. "We offer a simple menu that fits in the student budget." The West Philadelphia Papaya King becomes the only current member of the chain located outside New York City. "A lot of Penn students are from the New York area and they know us," Horan explained. "We're trying to expand onto college campuses. It just makes sense." Nearby vendors said they are not concerned about possible competition from Papaya King. After learning of Papaya King's food giveaways, many were interested in stopping by the new eatery themselves. "I hope it'll just attract new people," Bitar's manager Rich Duggan said. "I think there's enough space for everyone around here." Izzy and Zoe's manager Elissa Rivkind agreed. "We welcome new neighbors, and we wish them the best," she said. Student reaction to Papaya King was extremely favorable. College senior Andrew Kandel, the first customer of the new store, has a sentimental attachment to Papaya King. "I love this place," he said. "Papaya King has been in New York since I grew up. This is sort of like the cheesesteak of New York." Many patrons expressed satisfaction with the quality of food. Some said the prices were a bit high but certainly worth it. "It's delicious," College junior Michael Berens said. "The dogs here are a little more expensive than in New York, but it's definitely cleaner." "[The hot dogs] are excellent," Kandel added. "I'm willing to pay. It's cheaper than anywhere else." Customers also liked the unlikely combination of hot dogs and smoothies. College sophomore Jon Zimelis said, "I like hot dogs and I like smoothies, so I think it's a good mixture." "It's a little perplexing," College sophomore David Alhadeff said of the food selection. But Wharton sophomore Gisele Remy said she believes the combination will bring in a large assortment of customers. "I had a mango smoothie and it was amazing," Remy said. "It's going to bring in a melange of people." Papaya King, in operation since 1932, has three stores located in Manhattan, Times Square and Harlem. This is the first time since the late 1950s that Papaya King has had a store in Philadelphia.

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