INC NEWS - Editorial: The benefits of more off-campus dining (today's Duke Chronicle)

[John Schelp]

Editorial: The benefits of more off-campus dining
Duke Chronicle, 31 October 2005

In an odd marriage of interests, the Old West Durham
Neighborhood Association and the Duke administration
are working together to promote something that
students usually want: more vendors on Merchants on
Points. And in this negotiation, the students are no
where to be found.

In fact, this quest to increase the number of
restaurants that accept Duke food points or FLEX is
not about students at all. It’s about finding
consumers for local businesses. The neighborhood wants
the University to lower the approximately $3,000
start-up costs and up to 18-percent commission that
gets applied to MOP restaurants.

Neighborhood leaders say this would allow more local
businesses to join the program and reap the benefits
of having several thousand Duke students as captive
customers.

Duke has promised the neighborhood it will evaluate
the costs and give an answer in about a month. If the
University is able to come up with a proposal the
businesses like, it will give town-gown relations a
boost.

Students, on the other hand, are largely content with
the current 15 MOP restaurants. With the addition last
year of five more vendors, students haven’t felt the
need to take this on as a cause. But, just like most
other advances in student services, accommodations
that allow for more restaurants are more likely to
occur if students are actively engaged in the process.

However, the best solution for all involved—students,
vendor and University administration— would involve
not simply expanding the MOP options but introducing a
program that would allow student to use FLEX or food
points off campus.

While creating a dine-out program would require some
legal shifting because of taxes, it would offer
multiple benefits to the community and Duke.

The high commission for MOP exists partially because
delivery costs are included. Allowing students to
purchase food directly at the restaurants would
potentially cut down on costs. More importantly,
however, it would increase real, face-to-face
interaction between students and the community.

When a vendor joins MOP, it does not just get the bump
in business that comes from Duke students’ food
points; it also gains visibility. Students, especially
freshmen, are more likely to sample restaurants if
they are available on points. Even if the merchant
subsequently leaves the program, as International
Delights did two years ago, students have already
developed a taste for the brand.

Letting students eat at the restaurants would also
offer the opportunity to expose them to the place as
well as the food. Ninth Street and Brightleaf Square
are only a short walk from campus. Given the incentive
of FLEX or food points, students would surely venture
out occasionally. But with so much of Duke life still
centered on campus, it is unlikely that such trips
would occur more than a couple of times a week. Most
students are simply too pressed for time to spend
hours at dinner.

But an off-campus dining program is an advance
students would rally for. Currently there are no real
sit-down dining options on campus. There have not been
any since the Oak Room closed in 2003. While some
venues are tentatively planned for the reconstruction
of Central Campus, it will be at least two years
before any restaurant would open. This could happen
now.

The project is already underway. Student support would
offer important momentum.

****

couple of thoughts...

This was an encouraging editorial in today's
Chronicle. 

We agree completely that students should be involved
in the conversation about expanding MOP.

In fact, our effort to reform the DukeCard system was
prompted by a thoughtful student quote in the 9/23/05
Chronicle:

>Freshman Melanie Wright said students often do not
venture off campus because they prefer the convenience
of FLEX and food points to pocket cash... "It’s easy
to get caught up in the DukeCard and forget about part
of the large community," Wright said.

In our listserv posts we've said that reforming the
DukeCard system would benefit both students and
merchants. 

To this end, it's be great if the administration
engaged the students in the discussion. The students
could help Duke administrators make the right
decision!

Finally, we've already raised the issue about Duke's
"strange requirement" that a restaurant will be kicked
out of the program if they serve food on Points at
their off-campus location. We've recommended that the
"delivery only" restriction be lifted (so students can
have more opportunities to get off campus).

As the Chronicle reported...

>The Old West Durham Neighborhood Association also
raised concerns about the students' inability to use
points off campus. In the MOP system, students can
only pay for purchases with points if they are
delivered on campus. (Chronicle, 10/28/05)

Anyway, an encouraging editorial from the Chronicle.
We hope it will make a difference.

~John Schelp
old west durham  www.owdna.org

****