The Triangle

Issue date: 1/15/10 Section: News

Media Credit: Tara Giancaspro The new Northside Dinning Terrace will be joining several other options for students to grab a meal outside of the Handschumacher Dining Center.

The Northside Dining Terrace was opened to the public on Dec. 28 to familiarize the restaurant workers to the University environment. The official opening of Northside will be celebrated on Jan. 20, according to Jackie Eliassen, director of retail management at Drexel Business Services.

"When a retail establishment is opened, you look for a time to get everything ready and to get the workers acclimated to the new equipment and location. Normally, this happens at the beginning of an academic term, but we were fortunate to be able to do this during a break period this time," Rita LaRue Golloti, senior associate vice president of Drexel Business Services, said.

According to Gollotti, the biggest impact of the "soft opening" has been on Currito, a family-owned regional chain that had not seen such a large opening before. In response to the heavy traffic at the Northside location, Currito will change some of its food preparation procedures and train employees to enhance customer service.

The newly opened dining location consists of the Northside Market, which offers basic groceries, and retail locations of Chick-fil-A, Currito, Subway, and Tsunami Sushi.

According to James Tucker, senior vice president of student life and administrative services, the new dining location impacts all of the Drexel community and the Powelton community. Individuals who are primarily on the north side of the campus - including residence halls and the academic buildings in the area - now have a closer Drexel-operated dining location.

"We recognized the challenge of having all the residence halls on one side of campus, away from the dining hall. The Northside Dining Terrace is expected to help that situation by offering food closer to the students," Gollotti said.

Tucker also commented that students have consistently asked for more retail and dining on the north side of campus.

"I believe we are responding to the students' needs and providing them with more flexibility and opportunities that make them more satisfied [by offering new dining locations and dining plans]," Tucker stated in an e-mail.

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