Subway used to be Dexter Subs & More and Starbucks in Julian A. McPhee University Union (UU) used to be a Julian’s Patisserie, according to the Reddit post.
Katherine Benedict
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Wouldn’t it be nice to have Chipotle on campus?
A recent theory emerged on Reddit, bringing both curiosity and anticipation. Some think Cal Poly’s Campus Dining puts pilot, generic restaurants on campus to test out their success before putting in big-time chain restaurants.
Subway used to be Dexter Subs & More and Starbucks in Julian A. McPhee University Union (UU) used to be a Julian’s Patisserie, according to the Reddit post.
Because of this trend, some hopefuls think PCV’s Tacos To-Go might become a Chipotle.
Despite its past record of putting in popular chains, Campus Dining denied this testing method.
Original author of the Reddit post that sparked this recent theory is mechanical engineering senior Ed Foley. Foley was a part of the Campus Dining Student Dining Committee, a group that was the means of communication between students and campus dining, for a year and a half.
Foley gradually started noticing this trend through his time at Cal Poly.
“This is just a theory I have picked up on,” Foley said. “I have not heard it from anybody else. I have been here for a while and I’ve just kind of noticed certain patterns that Campus Dining likes to do.”
Foley thinks this method of testing pilot restaurants has been working for Cal Poly and their success in devising whether or not chains would be worthwhile at Cal Poly in their specific locations.
“I’d say it has been successful, but the only reason I am saying that is because they have continued to do it so much,” Foley said.
If this theory is true, students have something to look forward to. Residents of PCV may have a Chipotle within their grounds in the coming years. Though the current residents of PCV will likely not be living there by the time it is installed, many students are optimistic about the possibility.
Nutrition sophomore Evan Quigley, a PCV resident, wants Tacos To-Go to become a Chipotle.
“I would totally approve of (Tacos To-Go becoming a Chipotle), most definitely, because I see the Tacos To-Go as another Caliente as it was in VGs,” Quigley said.
Likewise, business administration freshman Shiv Monteiro thinks this theory would be beneficial for Campus Dining.
“I would be really happy if this theory was true because I am not a big fan of most of the dining on campus, and I feel like this would be a great opportunity for Cal Poly to improve on this aspect,” Monteiro said. “If the Tacos To-Go was replaced with something like Chipotle, I would be really excited because it would give myself and other Cal Poly students the opportunity to eat both healthy and good food.”
With this excitement comes some concerns. Crowding, employment and high prices loom over the possibility of bringing in a popular chain, such as Chipotle.
“The only thing I would be worried about would be overcrowding of the restaurant because it would be significantly more popular than other dining options on campus,” Monteiro said.
Quigley shared related concerns, but believes it would be a good bang for his buck.
“I think it would be more expensive … but I think overall students would rather have a Chipotle than a Tacos To-Go,” Quigley said.
Foley is not only hopeful for a Chipotle but also partially swayed to think it is a possibility.
“I definitely think there is some potential,” Foley said. “Again, it’s all just speculation … but it wouldn’t surprise me if that was a direction they would be headed in … I lived in Poly Canyon Village for two years and it would have definitely been nice to have a Chipotle right there.”
Clarification: This article previously stated that Jamba Juice in Poly Canyon Village used to be a Lucy’s Juice. In fact, Lucy’s Juice did not occupy the same space in Poly Canyon Village and that was not claimed by Foley on Reddit.