Students at the University can expect to see a new lineup of dining options at the EMU’s food court this school year.
Panda Express, The Great Philly Steak Sandwich and The Pita Pit replaced Andrew Smash, Hodge Podge and Orient Express.
The Pita Pit will be open Wednesdays and Thursdays and The Great Philly Steak Sandwich will be open Mondays in the same space.
Perhaps the most dramatic and controversial change has to do with Andrew Smash’s replacement, Panda Express.
The national chain has grown to be the most successful Chinese quick-service concept in America, with more than 700 restaurants around the world.
The space the restaurant now occupies was remodeled during the summer to meet the operational needs of the chain, but the operator of Andrew Smash questions the fairness of EMU management in addressing the previous tenant’s business problems.
The renovation took eight weeks and cost Panda Express $350,000 to $450,000, EMU Food Service Director John Costello said.
The cost to the University was less than $100,000, which came from existing food service revenue, EMU Director Dusty Miller said.
“When the space was first designed almost ten years ago, the vendor engineered a class two hood,” Costello said, referring to the size of the grill space. “It was real limited in its design, and we couldn’t use a wok or open flame with it.”
Panda Express needed to have a class one hood, which carries fewer restrictions, Costello said. The space also needed to be remodeled to accommodate Panda Express and future vendors of the site.
“No matter who moves into it, it will be a much-improved shell of a space,” Costello said. “It’s been a cooperative investment to University space.”
Panda Express is expected to bring in more revenue to the University than Andrew Smash.
“They make $700,000 a year at Oregon State University, and other campuses have been wildly pleased,” Costello says.
Panda Express spokesperson John Phan said in an e-mail that the restaurant is an excellent fit for the University because of its proven success on college campuses going back to 1993, when the first campus location opened at UCLA.
“Our success in this venue is due to Panda’s great variety, flavor and value that we offer students and faculty,” Phan said.
Panda Express “woks” every entree fresh to order and prides itself on providing both traditional flavors and new twists on Chinese favorites, Phan said.
But Justin Zinser, president of Smash International Inc., which owns the rights to Andrew Smash, is not as excited about the opening of Panda Express at the EMU.
Zinser operated Andrew Smash, which sold wraps, smoothies, soups and salads at the EMU from 2002 until June 2005, when its lease expired and Panda Express got set to take its place.
Andrew Smash was given an 18-month lease in 2003 to see if they could increase their low sales, Costello said.
“Andrew Smash’s sales had not been great, and they were the lowest grossing operator of all tenants,” Costello says.
At the end of the lease, Costello said the sales had gone up, but it was still grossing the lowest in sales out of all the EMU restaurants.
Zinser claims it was poor management on behalf of the EMU directors that led to Andrew Smash’s poor sales and termination of the lease.
“The paramount statement is that Andrew Smash did not want to terminate its lease and was forced out by the EMU management,” Zinser says.
Zinser blames the EMU for not helping him solve the space’s structural limitations and poor visibility of the site and for failing to protect the uniqueness of its concept.
“The funny thing is this: The EMU will spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to bring in Panda Express, and wouldn’t spend $19 to reprint the directory posters to show Andrew Smash on the map,” Zinser says.
Miller, the EMU director, said Panda Express paid for 75 to 80 percent of the remodeling costs. The project cost the University less than $100,000, a cost that was approved by the EMU Board of Directors.
Zinser said he believes supporting local business is not a priority for the EMU, citing the fact that Andrew Smash is a local business and Panda Express is a large corporation.
“It’s a sad day when the U of O decides to sell out, and I hope it gets corrected before the U of O mimics the likes of UCLA and the University of Arizona in their strip mall food courts,” Zinser says.
Costello said the EMU intends to support local operators in the food court and has no intention of changing to large operators.
“It’s sour grapes,” Costello said.