The new juice bar at the EMU, Andrew Smash, is the latest addition to a handful of stores in the student union. But unlike the other vendors, Andrew Smash was able to skip out on mountains of paperwork because it took over a lease from the previous tenant, Jamba Juice and Pizza Planet.
John Costello, the EMU food services director, said if a new location opened up in the student union, anywhere from 10 to 20 businesses would likely apply. And because the building is owned by the University of Oregon, each applicant would have to submit extensive 20-page documents that detail everything from financial history to menu items.
Costello said there are no new business locations being planned at the EMU right now. But he’s heard plenty of suggestions for new places to eat in the student union, which was remodeled in 1998.
“I think somewhere in the building there should be room for a place with burgers and fries — many people want it,” he said.
Even if there was space, opening a new restaurant would cost approximately $80,000. Each business, with the exception of the Marketplace, which rotates daily among five vendors, provides all its own equipment and furnishings.
“If Subway left, for example, Subway would strip all their equipment out — there’d be nothing left but bare walls,” Costello said.
Costello hopes that new businesses will someday find their way to the building. But he realizes that succeeding in the student union can be difficult.
“There’s five months that are great business, five months of marginal business and two months of lousy business,” he said. “It’s almost like being in a resort situation.”
— Brook Reinhard