August 17, 2007

Opening of Purdue Memorial Union restaurants delayed

The opening of the six new restaurants in the Purdue Memorial Union's Union Commons, originally scheduled to open the week of Aug. 20, has been delayed.

Bob Mindrum, Purdue Memorial Union director, said a revised, tentative construction timeline calls for phased opening of the restaurants, with Villa Fresh Italian Kitchen opening around Aug. 27, LaSalsa Fresh Mexican grill opening about three weeks later, Lemongrass and Flatbreads opening in mid-October and the Urban Market and Zia Juice opening by the end of October.

"We knew all along that this would be a very complicated project, taking place in a compressed timeframe and in an 80-year-old and architecturally significant building," Mindrum said. "We also were committed to maintaining a certain level of customer service throughout construction, and in retrospect, our decision to keep the existing Villa Pizza open until spring break probably contributed to the delay."

Mindrum said the improvements will be worth the wait.

"You can really feel the excitement as these new restaurants take shape," he said.

In the meantime, expanded operating hours in existing restaurants such as Pappy's, the Oasis, Quick Cuisine, Starbucks and the union's seven satellite operations at various campus locations will help meet demand.

"We greatly appreciate the patience, understanding and continued patronage of the Purdue community, and we look forward to offering a much more progressive style of service in the very near future," Mindrum said.

Writer: Christy Jones, (765) 494-1089, christyjones@purdue.edu

Source: Carol Houston, Purdue Memorial Union marketing manager, (765) 494-8974, crhouston@purdue.edu

Bob Mindrum, (765) 494-8901, mindrum@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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