Big crowds and long waits are not things Penn students generally associate with Saladworks.
At first glance, the on-campus eatery, located at 3728 Spruce St., seems to have lost business since the September opening of the nearby G¡a Pronto, as well as the January debut of the Triangle Diner.
But Saladworks manager Thomas Ross said that this is not the case, and added that the increased competition has not hurt his restaurant.
In fact, Ross went on to say that not only has Saladworks not lost business, but that the two new eateries have helped attract patrons to the block.
"I think we've gotten more business at night. They didn't affect us, the diner [actually] gave us more business," Ross said. "We get a lot of deliveries and a lot of takeout."
However, some Penn students are not so sure.
"I never really see people in there," College junior Sharon Kim said. "Saladworks made a few of my friends sick, so I only went there once."
College sophomore Rachel Gordon agreed, adding her assessment that G¡a Pronto has had a good deal to do with any loss of business at Saladworks.
"That doesn't make sense to me that their business would go up," Gordon said. "I just think G¡a Pronto is 100 times better."
College junior Krista Kawaguchi shared Gordon's sentiment that Saladworks simply cannot compete with its newer, flashier next-door neighbor.
"I think G¡a Pronto is much better," Kawaguchi said. "G¡a Pronto has better ingredients, the salad dressings are better and the sandwiches are better."
Yet, no matter if Saladworks' business has been affected one way or another, it will most likely not be going anywhere in the near future, according to Lisa Prasad, director of retail operations.
"They signed a long-term lease," Prasad said.
Saladworks, based in Conshohocken, Pa., operates 16 locations in the Philadelphia area, and has been at its Stouffer site since 1997.
