After months of negotiations and many suggestions from the students, the administration has finally decided to bring more dining options to West Chester University. Dunkin Donuts and Auntie Anne’s Pretzels will be available starting fall 2012 at Sykes.
The popularity of Chick-fil-A and Starbucks caused the administration to make this monumental decision. Indeed, many students wrote letters to the board of directors demanding that they offer more variety on chain restaurants.
A survey was released over the course of the year to determine who would be coming to campus after the letters were received and analyzed. Along with the combination of Auntie Anne’s and Dunkin Donuts the options were Rita’s, Krispy Kreme, a very mini Wawa, McDonalds, Dairy Queen, and KFC.
KFC was taken out later in the process due to the fact that Chick-fil-A threatened to leave campus if they came on.
Reasons why students wanted a Dunkin Donuts on campus included the easy access to a Dunkin Donuts. The nearest Dunkin Donuts is approximately 1.6 miles from Sykes, according to Google Maps. Although students could technically walk there, it is a treacherous journey down Market Street. One letter from a student said, “I realize that it’s technically not far away, but that area of Market Street is creepy. And the sidewalk stops after a bit.”
Another reason is that students want more variety when it comes to coffee and pastries. Starbucks is starting to offer sandwiches and more pastry items, but sometimes a donut and coffee are all students need to get a jump-start on their day. And sometimes, Einstein’s Bagels gets boring. Students are also tired of waiting in line for their coffee and having three coffee places will hopefully help this out.
Auntie Anne’s Pretzels was chosen because students wanted an afternoon snack option. A pretzel and old-fashioned lemonade is sometimes the boost that students need to survive the rest of their day before dinner. Temple University has an Auntie Anne’s in one of their dining halls and their input to this decision-making was treasured by the administration.
Another reason why Auntie Anne’s was favored over a place like Rita’s or Dairy Queen was because they are open all year. When it gets cold out, students are not going to want an Italian ice from Rita’s or ice cream from Dairy Queen. According to one letter from a student, “soft pretzels warm people’s hearts and hands during the cold days.”
Before the administration installs these two places, they would like students to help them decide where to put them. Auntie Anne’s and Dunkin Donuts have agreed to share a space in Sykes, but Auntie Anne’s is also open to the option of a stand in the Lawrence Dining Hall. It wouldn’t replace Einstein’s. It would go inside of the dining room with the other options.
Unfortunately, Dunkin Donuts and Auntie Anne’s pleas to be installed in the new fitness center were met with deaf ears. Their reasoning was “it would defeat the purpose of using the new fitness center. Putting junk food in a fitness center is like putting a herd of sheep in the wilderness of Africa near some lions. It won’t end well.”
The survey for the location of Dunkin Donuts and Auntie Anne’s will be released on April 4. Participation in the survey will automatically enter students into a contest to win gift cards to these places. A new iPad is the grand prize.
Students wishing to apply to work at these places should visit the Sykes Information Desk for an application.
Margaret Weaver is a fourth-year student majoring in Twitter-grammar. She can be found breaking off the heels of stilettos to “prevent the stabbing of toes.”