Retail places moved out of the PMU

If you’re a returning student or staff member, you might notice the restaurants in the basement of the Purdue Memorial Union look a little different.

Purdue Food Co., the company responsible for staffing and managing as many as 30 restaurants on campus, has unveiled six new restaurants in the PMU.

BBQ District, Burgers 101, Fresh Fare, Pizza and Parm, Sol Toro and Chef Bill Kim’s have all been removed from the PMU basement.

They have been replaced with Anyway You Slice It, Burgers + Fries, DSJ Asian Grill, Food Lab, Tenders, Love & Chicken and Rose Market.

The other Purdue Food Co. locations currently in the PMU, Aatish, Sushi Boss, Zen, Boilermaker Market, Starbucks and Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux, are all staying in the building.

Purdue Food Co. restaurants including the ones in the PMU will not be taking meal swipes, however, they will continue taking dining dollars, BoilerExpress and other traditional payment options.

Although he hadn’t been able to try the old PMU restaurants, freshman Keegan Gregory is optimistic about the new options, especially Tenders, Love & Chicken.

“I’ve been here just over a week, and I think it’s pretty telling that I’ve been to Tenders, Love & Chicken three times,” he said.

Most of the restaurants were closed by the end of last semester and were replaced over summer, said Purdue Food Co. Marketing Manager Mistee Saylor.

On the first day of the semester, all but two of the new locations were opened for business.

While the restaurants were training and hiring new staff, Purdue Food Co. diverted current staff from other restaurants, Saylor said.

“As we’ve just kind of had more time to get adjusted, we’re opening up more,” she said Monday.

One location yet to open is Food Lab. Food Lab is different than a traditional restaurant in the sense that customers can vote to bring certain pre-made menus to the location each semester.

For the Fall 2024 semester, Food Lab is featuring Zoca, a Mexican-themed menu.

Towards the end of the semester, students should be able to cast a vote in favor of Zoca or another menu for Food Lab to feature, said Saylor.

Operating hours of certain restaurants will also be adjusted as the semester continues, Saylor said.

“As we see the traffic patterns and the popularity of all these different locations, we will probably adjust hours and things like that,” she said.

Purdue Food Co. is also looking to do themed days in the PMU, hopefully starting next Monday, said Saylor.

On Mondays, 2-5 p.m. will be “devour hours,” where customers can get 25% off their purchase. Tuesdays will feature free samples of food from the restaurants. On Wednesdays, customers will be able to offer their feedback to Purdue Food Co.

Thursdays will be “thirsty Thursdays.” Certain restaurants will have $1 drinks, including Walk-On’s. Finally, Fridays are “foodie Friday,” where customers can get 10% off their meal if they take a picture and share where they’re eating on social media.