Students fired up about plans for new diner

After four years of hungering for a 24-hour campus restaurant, students couldn't be more satisfied that the greasy spoon coming to Penn has promised to operate around the clock. El Diner will open in less than two months in the spot formerly held by Eat at Joe's at 3925 Walnut Street. The cafeteria-style restaurant will offer traditional diner fare at cheap prices, ranging from $2 to $10 a meal. After hearing yesterday's announcement, Penn students raved about El Diner's plans -- especially the 24-hour service. "If this happens, we'll be able to get some real food as opposed to some junky snacks like chips [late at night]," Wharton sophomore Dan Ehrenstein said. He pointed out that Wawa is currently the only place where students can get a quick bite to eat around the clock. "If it's not 24 hours, it's not a diner," College junior Evan Racine added. Students hope that El Diner will not be another Eat at Joe's, the 1950s-themed diner that left campus this June after two years of poor service, high prices and overwhelming unpopularity. Since 1996, the Undergraduate Assembly had lobbied Penn administrators for an all-hours diner, after conducting a survey that revealed that 97 percent of students wanted an on-campus, late-night greasy-spoon establishment. UA members thought they got their wish answered in the summer of 1998 when the University announced that a new Eat at Joe's franchise would be open on campus around the clock. But from day one, the diner closed its doors around 11 p.m. on weekdays and 2 a.m. on weekends -- drawing criticism from students and the UA. In an attempt to gain more customers, new management eventually extended the diner's weekend hours till 3 a.m. and began offering more discounted food options. But Eat at Joe's unfavorable reputation remained and the diner quietly left University City this summer. UA members -- who met with the El Diner management to discuss student wants -- and students seem much happier with the new diner than they were with its predecessor. "I think that it's just going to give us the option that we've been looking for, for a long time," said UA member Molly Siems, a College sophomore. "It's finally going to give us cheap food and 24-hour service, which right now is not possible." In addition, several students applauded El Diner's plans to take orders at the counter, which they think will speed up service. Eat at Joe's customers long complained that the diner's sit-down service frequently caused delays. A number of students were excited that El Diner will feature a well-stocked bar -- especially since the closing of Billybob this summer has made trips to the late-night hangout a thing of the past. "I don't know if it can replace Billybob, but it would be nice," College senior Hamid Abdollahi said. Students were also pleased with the menu's wide selection and thought the prices seemed reasonable. "If it's good quality, [El Diner] is going to be a great success," said College sophomore Keren Mertens, who thinks basic diner food is "what Penn's campus is missing the most." El Diner, operated by Goldman Properties, signed a lease with the University last week. Renovations are expected to begin shortly, although there is no exact starting date.

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