Business strong, despite re-opened Memorial Union

 by Ryan Calhoun
 published on Monday, February 18, 2008

John Battaglia / THE STATE PRESS

EXTREME EATING: A man eats Thursday night at the College Avenue Extreme Pita, which also has a location in the Memorial Union. Owners of several nearby eateries say business has remained strong despite the reopening of the MU.

Though the Memorial Union reopened at the beginning of the semester, some nearby ASU food vendors said their customer bases — which increased because of the fire — remain high.

Lines stretched out of Cupz Coffee on College Avenue when the MU first closed, said Cupz manager Kenric Garber, and business has remained steady since the MU's reopening.

"We always had really good business and still have really good business here," Garber said. "A lot of people didn't know who or where we were when the fire happened, so, because of the fire, we have picked up more customers."

Despite the reopening of the MU, The Chuckbox has managed to keep the first-time visitors they acquired after the fire, said Chuckbox manager Aristeo Ponce.

"Business has been really good," Ponce said. "Business gets better every year. We have been here over 35 years and that's a long time to be in one place."

But business is back to normal for other food vendors.

Jamie Mota, manager of Panda Express Restaurant on College Avenue, said business has quieted down since the Nov. 1 fire.

"It's not as busy as before," Mota said. "But we are doing the same as what we used to do [before the MU fire]."

More students visited Panda Express immediately after the blaze, Mota said, but the restaurant is still keeping busy, even after the reopening.

Mario Pullara, manager of the Villa Pizza restaurant next door to Panda Express, also said he hasn't seen as many customers since the re-opening.

But Pullara said he thinks the drop in customers, which he estimates to be about 20 percent, has been good for the restaurant.

"To tell you the truth, it's better on us because it's easier to manage and we can give more attention to our customers," Pullara said.

But representatives from other restaurants near ASU, such as Ruby Tuesday's on Mill Avenue and Mamacita's Cantina on University Drive, said they didn't see any difference when the MU fire happened or since it has reopened.

Joe Goodale, manager of Mamacita's Cantina, said business stayed the same the entire time.

"The MU reopened?" he asked jokingly. "I didn't even know."

Mamacita's Cantina is in the middle of their busiest time of the year, he added, because it's an outdoor restaurant and the weather has been pleasant.

"As it gets warmer, business gets better," Goodale said.

Linda Le, an accounting sophomore who was finishing eating on the first floor of the MU, said she ate on campus as much as possible while the MU was closed because she had a meal plan to use and has returned to the MU now that it is open.

"I still have my meal plan and so I'm going to use it," Le said. "I guess I ate at Panda Express a little more often before, but I don't think there's been a major change in where I eat."

Sitting with Le, Brittany Reyes, an education junior, said she eats off-campus more often now than she did before the MU fire, but her habits haven't changed significantly.

"I just got out of the habit of eating [at the MU], I guess," she said. "It's so nice not to deal with crowds. I really never ate here all that much anyway."

The State Press's Emma Breysse contributed to this article.

Reach the reporter at: ryan.calhoun@asu.edu.