Diners unhappy with Eat at Joe's

Students are advocating for a campus diner with a more 'authentic' feel. In 1996, the Undergraduate Assembly presented the Penn community with a survey showing that 97 percent of students surveyed wanted a 24-hour diner close to campus. University administrators greeted the results enthusiastically, saying they would work the request into their master plan for retail development. But four years after that survey was conducted and nearly two years after Penn lured Eat at Joe's to a spot near 40th and Walnut streets, students say their wish for a greasy, 24-hour-a-day diner is still unfulfilled. Students have long derided Eat at Joe's as too expensive and too slow. And the 1950s theme diner has never been open for 24 hours -- it originally closed at 11 p.m. on weekdays and 2 a.m. on weekends. Now, the diner stays open on weekdays until 10 p.m. and 3 a.m. on weekends. Since the fall, the restaurant has been under new management, which has tried to reinvigorate the franchise by changing the menu, hiring a better-trained staff and decreasing the wait time. But for most students, it's too little, too late, and perceptions of Eat at Joe's are hard to change. "[The University] gave us a lousy, retro-theme restaurant," UA Chairman Michael Silver said, adding that the atmosphere, operating hours and menu selection have not lived up to student expectations. Silver, a College senior, said the UA "constantly" urges Executive Vice President John Fry to bring a "real, authentic" diner to campus. UA member and College senior Jeremy Fingerman said the student group most recently advocated a greasy spoon diner at its February 3 meeting with the University. "The survey results don't change," Silver said. According to Fred Gershman, the general manager who opened Penn's diner, Eat at Joe's was intended to be a 24-hour, alcohol-serving diner. He said, however, that the University said it did not want any establishment open past 3 a.m. in order to prevent students from staying out too late. Though Penn officials could not be reached last night for comment on Gershman's statements, John Greenwood, a top official at the University's real estate company, said Penn will continue to strive to fulfill students' visions. "The University is very aware of student interest in a more authentic diner experience and is working on trying to improve the situation with Eat at Joe's and outside of Eat at Joe's," Greenwood said. Eat at Joe's officials said they have recently made changes in an effort to better meet customer needs. General Manager Lydia Holtzinger, who took charge of the Penn branch of the restaurant in September, said she changed the server and kitchen staff, added vegetarian items and decreased the wait time. "We get a lot of compliments now," she said. Joe Fiore, the company's chairman and chief executive officer, said the local restaurant is under ongoing evaluation. "Any business that stops making changes and stops implementing things ultimately dies," Fiore said. Eat at Joe's Director of Operations Glenn Gross, a 35-year veteran of the restaurant business, said the restaurant is now immaculate. He added that their 1950s diner cannot please everybody -- although they do try. "If [the students] wanted greasy spoon, let them go eat at the trucks down the street," Gross said yesterday. "I can't control how Eat at Joe's came about." Despite the changes, some students said they would rather patronize a restaurant run like a central New Jersey diner. "I want a greasy pit where it smells like cigarette smoke," UA member and Wharton junior Jonathan Glick said, adding that he has not eaten at Eat at Joe's in over a year. Still, other students found satisfying items on Eat at Joe's menu. College and Wharton senior Nili Doft -- who said she was disappointed by the diner's hours and decor -- noted that the milkshakes are "really good."

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