Duke requires all vendors to offer $5 meal option

Duke University Dining has launched Daily Devil Deals, an initiative designed to ensure that every vendor on Duke’s campus offers a meal option for $5 or less. A full list of the deals from each vendor has been posted online.

Duke Dining had received some blowback from what some students regarded as overly high prices at the school’s recently opened West Union dining complex. The Daily Devil Deals program covers not only West Union but other campus dining outlets.

Among the $5 deals now offered at the various West Union restaurants are a sautéed vegetables and rice dish at Ginger Soy, a hand roll and miso combo at Gyotaku, a slice of pizza with Caesar or house salad at Il Forno, a half sandwich with either green side salad or cup of black bean soup at Devil’s Krafthouse and a serving of chicken with vegetables, basmati pilaf and naan bread at Tandoor.

A couple of other West Union restaurants have several choices for $5. JB’s Roast and Chops offers a 4-ounce paella or braised beef brisket, grilled salmon and grilled chicken dishes with a single side, while The Skillet has options revolving around its signature fried chicken, pulled pork and buttermilk pancake offerings.

Elsewhere on campus, some venues are offering different specials each day. The Marketplace, an all-you-care-to-eat dining hall that operates as an a la carte venue at lunch on weekdays, has a $4.55 special at different stations each day of the week for that meal period.

The Daily Devil Deals program also includes national branded concepts operating on campus, including McDonald’s, Red Mango and Panda Express. McDonald’s, for example, now offers a six-piece nuggets/medium fries/drink combo for $4.39 and a McDouble burger/medium fries/drink combo for $4.09.

“Many of these Daily Devil Deals are already part of the regular menu offerings and we are just highlighting them,” notes Robert Coffey, director of dining services, adding that some were already available at the low price but hadn’t been publicized.

“We really appreciate our local partners and national brands embracing items important to the Duke community like offering a Duke living wage and supporting sustainability initiatives while also maintaining high quality, variety and value.