New 24-hour diner to open at 40th and Walnut

The "Eat at Joe's" diner, set to open on New Year's Eve, will offer both traditional 50's fare and healthy alternatives. For the most part, the University's latest retail ventures -- such as building the upscale Inn at Penn, limiting street vendors and creating a Barnes & Noble "super" bookstore -- have not been directly related to student demand. But when an Undergraduate Assembly survey last fall revealed the student body's craving for more late-night dining options, the University promptly started soliciting diners who could fill the bill. Eat at Joe's -- a Cherry Hill-based company founded and headed by a 1990 Drexel finance graduate -- will open at 40th and Walnut (adjacent to Baskin Robbins') next New Year's eve. And while most students will not be on campus to witness the restaurant's premier, it is University City's student population that the "semi-chain" will cater to specifically. "With a chain, you really lose sight of your customer base," explained Anthony Cosenza, the company's president and self-professed "big bopper." "Eat At Joe's?will serve not only classic '50's fare, but also cater to the demographics of the specific population." The "demographics" in this case refers to students at the University, which owns the space Eat at Joe's is renting. So along with garlic mashed potatoes and fried chicken, Joe's will serve healthier food, including vegetarian choices. "We will be serving 'macrobiotic' foods, very nutritious items like burgers with no meat," explained the company's executive chef. But if "macrobiotic" seems reminiscent of the none-too-appetizing meatless sandwiches at Chats, Cosenza -- who also operates the Philly Steak and Gyro Co. booth at the 3401 Walnut Street Food Court -- stressed that quality was his primary concern. Eager to get feedback on menu ideas, Cosenza said he hopes to forge a "comfort level" with his consumers. In fact, the 29-year-old entrepreneur sympathizes with University students. "[At Drexel] we were always looking for a diner. We wanted an alternative to the meal plan, or what the fraternity was offering," he said. Cosenza also acknowledged that Eat At Joe's -- which he promised would offer a good "$5-and-under-meal" -- would serve as an alternative to Billybob's, which is one of the two 24-hour eateries currently on campus. Last semester, the University put Billybob's, located at 40th and Spruce streets, under 24-hour police surveillance in an effort to prove it was a menace to the community and a crime magnet. "I don't know that Billybob's is the sole reason for the crime in that area," Cosenza said. "I've eaten there, a number of years ago?I though they did a credible job."