New restaurants, dining options could compete

At times during the past few months, it seemed as if Penn Dining and local retail were playing a game of one-upmanship, as both announced a series of culinary developments.

University officials facilitated the coming of a number of restaurants -- including the upcoming openings of Marathon Grill and Metropolitan Bakery near the 40th Street corridor and, more recently, of Gi… Pronto on Spruce Street.

But when Penn announced plans for another new restaurant, the Triangle Diner, there was a noticeable difference -- it would be run by Penn Dining and accept Dining Dollars.

According to University officials, the new venues -- both independently-owned restaurants and the additional dining options -- are intended to be an effective response to student demand.

"Students were looking for increased flexibility -- so we bundled a lot more retail components into the meal plan this year," Dining Services Marketing Manager Maeve Duska said.

Yet, new retail options may detract from the University's goal of promoting its College House System, which hinges on community interaction facilitated by a traditional dining hall experience -- now becoming more diluted.

So far the attempts at flexibility have centered on giving students Dining Dollars that can be used at a variety of locations on campus -- namely the Au Bon Pain in Huntsman Hall and a variety of fast food locations, as well as a C3 convenience store inside 1920 Commons.

Other upcoming additions include Mark's Cafe, opening in Van Pelt Library, and a Cyber Cafe, which will be added to the Towne Building.

While these venues will differ from the off-campus restaurants that are slated to open, they could also run the risk of saturating Penn's student body with too many options.

However, at this point, representatives on all sides maintain that they are confident that there is little cause for concern.

"We don't foresee taking any business from off campus," Duska said. "There is going to be something for everyone."

Dale Olin, the general manager of Bubble House, located on Sansom Street, echoed Duska, dismissing the potential for competition for his business.

"We don't just consider ourselves a restaurant," Olin said, noting that Bubble House offers the kind of setting that students cannot get in a dining hall. "We're also a pretty cool hangout place that serves the community. Dining can't compete with our atmosphere."

"Students are so immersed in the school setting during the day that going to an off-campus restaurant is one of those things they can look forward to," Olin added.

Vice President for Facilities and Real Estate Services Omar Blaik echoed the belief that local businesses will not be hurt by the changes.

"The intention of the dining plan is to retain the student population that uses Dining Dollars and to offer them more choice," he said.

Since many students who have meal plans are not going out and eating in retail options, Blaik feels that "these are segments that are not overlapping."

In addition, Blaik noted that the new, independently-owned restaurants have been intentionally fit into the University's master plan for campus retail, which is designed to avoid oversupply.

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