Crepe truck tenure comes to an end

A favorite food truck has said au revoir to Penn's campus. La Petite Creperie cart-- which sometimes boasted lines up to 45 minutes long outside the Pottruck Health and Fitness Center -- closed recently after more than four years at Penn. Houston Hall's creperie stand manager Chris Salpistidis would not comment on the reasons for the cart's closure, simply noting that it was in need of repairs and "needed to be closed." The Houston Hall stand, which opened last February under the same ownership, will remain in place, according to Salpistidis. Salpistidis added that focus on the second location did not lead to the closure of the food cart. And while the company seems to be downsizing at Penn, it is actually in the process of expanding into other markets. Owner Andreas Andoniadis has already opened more restaurant-style branches of La Petite Creperie at two new locations -- one in Boca Raton and the other in Palm Springs, Fla. -- and is currently in the process of establishing the business at a third site. Looking to successful local businesses like LeBus -- which began as a popular lunch cart housed in an old school bus on Penn's campus and now includes a chain of cafes and food stands -- Andoniadis is hoping to build a franchise of La Petite Creperies. And while a new cart may eventually come to Penn's campus to replace the former one which departed a couple weeks ago, Andoniadis may instead choose to retire the truck completely and instead focus on the newly opened stores, according to Salpistidis. Meanwhile, students can still visit the Houston Hall creperie, which has been successful since its opening last February, Salpistidis said. "Business at La Petite Creperie is fantastic," Salpistidis said. "With or without the truck, the store always runs well." He stressed that even though La Petite Creperie is expanding, the Houston Hall location will continue to operate in the same way and won't make any changes in its service or ingredients. "Many companies that franchise lose their value," he said, citing Starbucks as a classic example. "And that is exactly what we are trying to avoid." Although some students will miss the crepe truck, others say they didn't frequent it and are glad that the Houston Hall location is the one remaining open. "I think it's really good," said College sophomore Paloma Hendel. "I don't think it tastes like the crepes in France, but it's good."

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