STAFF EDITORIAL: Budget retail needed, too

The wave of new upscale retail highlights the need for Penn to pursue reasonably priced retailers as well. There is nothing wrong with upscale dining. And there is ample evidence to suggest that the student body has the means and the desire to patronize such establishments. But high-end stores and restaurants serve only a portion of the University community. Penn needs to do more to bring affordable and practical stores to the area as well. There should be no doubt that a bagel store -- and it is absurd to think that the campus does not already have one -- is a far greater priority for the vast majority of students than another upscale restaurant. The addition of a hardware store to the neighborhood would also fill a gaping void. And the paucity of new reasonably-priced restaurants marks perhaps the greatest hole in the latest round of revitalization. We applaud Stephen Starr's plans to open two upscale restaurants -- one in Sansom Common and one in the Sundance complex. The establishments promise to be a wonderful draw for the area. But while Penn has added such restaurants to the area retail mix -- the new Ivy Grille at the Inn at Penn is another example -- the number of budget dining options has only declined. Burger King, Subway, Muffins & More and others all closed for good when Houston Hall closed for renovations. The demolition of the former bookstore building took Fiesta Jr. Pizza with it. A second Burger King gave way to Sundance Cinemas. And years of student interest in an all-night diner culminated in Eat at Joe's -- an establishment which is neither open all night nor priced like a diner. To be sure, Burger Kings and late-night diners are not the types of places that bring people flocking from the suburbs. But in the rush of recent efforts to create "destinations" in University City, it is important to remember that the area already has a substantial population -- and that the area's retail mix must serve that population before it attempts to serve visitors. So by all means, build fancy restaurants. But remember that students, too, need places to eat.