Pizza Hut moves into 38th Street WaWa

Store plans to keep Taco Bell and grocery products Students who are not completely satisfied with tacos and hoagies will find a wider variety of offerings at the WaWa Food Market at 38th and Spruce streets when it reopens next week. Pizza Hut Express and an espresso bar will join the taco stand and market when it reopens next Monday, said Vic Musso, WaWa's area manager. "We hope that the variety will entice more people to come to that WaWa," he said. "Pizza is obviously a big thing with everybody, and I think people will like the espresso bar." While students will find added variety at the WaWa, space limitations have prevented an expansion of the 3,500 square-foot facility, Musso said. "Everything will be compacted slightly," he said. "There won't be as large an amount of each item, so we'll just have to replenish more often. The customer won't see a difference." In addition to the new offerings, old equipment, light fixtures and counters will be replaced. Tables and chairs will be cleaned and repaired as well, Musso said. "The equipment was worn down," said Fred Bergner, WaWa's regional facility manager. "The remodeling is really necessary and sort of overdue." According to Musso, WaWa policy requires that facility renovations take place every six or seven years. This will be the first remodeling for the Spruce Street WaWa, which opened its doors in late1986. "It's due time-wise and it's due as far as appearance goes," he said. "We also feel that we will have more to offer the students." Students coming home from winter break were surprised to find WaWa closed and empty. "I wish I could go there now," said Wharton freshman Jacques Cobbeni. "I just came back from break and I need a lot of stuff." Most, however, look forward to the additions and renovations. "The more choices we have to eat out on weekends, the better," College freshman Jeremy Johnson said. "Pizza Hut is better than Domino's anyway." Although signs in the windows said the WaWa would be open today, Musso said it will be at least another week before the store and additional food vendors would be ready for customers. Neighboring stores, like students, also expressed interest about the WaWa renovations and the store's opening. "It might help our business," Beijing owner Mark Gendelman said. "It might attract more individuals to the area." Gendelman said he did not think that the new additions would hurt Beijing's business. "We don't sell what they sell and they don't sell what we sell," he added. Renovation plans began over a year ago, Musso said. They involved consulting with the Liquor Control Board and reviewing 35 blueprints before finding a way to fit everything into the limited space dimensions. Originally the remodeling was to occur last summer, but the date was changed because of the heavy business volume at the store during the summer months. Musso and Bergner apologized for the inconvenience during the renovations and asked students to visit the other campus WaWa stores for groceries. "Look forward to a better facility for all the customers and everyone involved," Bergner said.