From the article:
ARAMARK, VCU’s food service provider, has partnered with IHOP in a move to bring all-day breakfast to the Monroe Park campus.
The location will be part of a retail space in the new Laurel and Grace parking deck, which is currently under construction and set to open August 2011.
Two other food sellers – providing chicken, salads and wraps – are also opening alongside the IHOP.
“It’s going to be slightly like a food court, but a little more glorified,” Tamara Highsmith of VCU Dining Services said. “I would call it a robust menu that should appeal to a lot of people.”
IHOP will be an express location: a counter-service restaurant with no sit-down dining and a non-traditional menu. VCU’s Student Government Association expressed concern about the lack of a dine-in area but, according to Highsmith, the speed of service necessitates counter service.
The three new eateries are a result of Dining Service’s annual review.
Approximately 1,200 students responded to a survey regarding what foods they would like to see on campus; a diner-type concept that provides breakfast, a health food option and a chicken retailer were in the top five requests.
“We really wanted to add to the variety with the shops along Broad Street,” said Highsmith. “A diner concept isn’t something currently available so we’re really excited to not just create another semi-Chipotle or something like that. This is definitely something that is not available to them.”
Despite rumors of a 24-hour schedule, IHOP will close at 11:30 p.m.. The hours of operation may expand based on demand.
821 Cafe, Mojo’s, and even Chili’s might disagree with that last quote in the article.
agreed. this sucks.
Glad they are putting retail space on the ground floor. hopefully the decks on the other other side of belvidere will also have ground floor retail.
My fear is that there isn’t retail on the ground floor of the behemoth going up on the other side of Belvidere. The rendering on the project’s sign (which also lists its price tag at $15 million) doesn’t show any. More dead street, just like half of downtown. For every good thing VCU and the state do in the city, they seem to do two bad ones.
Ground Floor Retail should be mandatory. Fill it with VCU offices if necessary, but two blocks of a ground floor parking deck is blight. I agree, “what the right hand giveth, the left taketh away”.
I agree, Paul. The downtown master plan has very good guidelines for making parking decks less problematic, but the state and VCU are not bound by that plan and I doubt they pay any attention to it at all. My sense is that the state doesn’t care much what the city wants or is trying to do downtown.
why do we need more retail? more shit jobs for us to work? I’m not going to buy what they are selling, someone explain to me how this is a good thing?
I would like to see a retail shop selling green products:
http://www.amazon.com/Solar-Backpack-Charger-Rechargable-included/dp/B002JI1EAG
Nathan, I think we can all agree that IHOP is not the highest and best use for a city block but placing any kind of retail use on the ground floor of a parking deck keeps the street busy with people throughout the day. Parking decks with only parking are always dead zones with no human activity around them.
Jake, you are right about the state not bothering with the city master plan. The new “Main Street Center” deck is a perfect example, it’s a parking high rise with no other ground floor uses.
Todd, in terms of retail green, there is the nearby EcoLogic store on Main Street.
I think there is nothing “green” about a parking deck unless it is for bicycles, which they would not be spending anywhere near the millions quoted. We would be lucky to get hundreds for any bicycle parking. We should not be encouraging more cars to clog the busy streets as it is. No parking is good for pedestrian and bicycle modes of transport as well as metro. Sickening taste in my mouth
821 Cafe, The Village, Harrison Street Coffee Shop… these are all available to students. This is ridiculous.