With the rapid growth in previous years around 40th Street beginning to stagnate, many students feel the University's goal of creating a retail environment that caters to students has not yet been achieved.
"I kind of wish there were more stores that sold more practical things," Nursing freshman Melanie Kehr said. "There should be more options in terms of restaurants that students can afford and maybe more healthy options."
While Nursing freshman Amber Oberholzer is satisfied overall, she said, "It would be nice if there were a few more clothing retail stores. And also more late-night restaurants that would accept dining dollars for convenience sake."
College freshman Jessica Rosenbaum, who often goes out to eat, agreed.
"I don't think we really have enough" restaurants and clothing stores, she said.
However, as far as food is concerned, Rosenbaum pointed out that "the retail options are definitely better than the dining hall options."
She said that she would ideally like to have a department store near campus.
Oberholzer said she thinks Penn has a need for "things that are more conducive to what young adults would wear ... so more places like Gap or Old Navy, something like that that's practical."
"There's a lot of Asian-cultured food and fast pizza stuff," she added. "It would be nice if there was some European [restaurants], and a bagel shop would be really nice, besides Starbucks -- another small-pastry sort of place."
Greek Lady owner Dimitrios Dimopoulos said he felt that the University has done a great job acquiring a variety of tenants in terms of food nationalities and prices.
"I think 40th Street is a really happening area on campus, especially over the last couple years, and when somebody comes to dine on 40th Street they have a big selection of foods," he said.
"I don't feel like we're competing with any other restaurants here," he added. "I feel more as though we're all working together to provide a good dining environment for the students here on 40th Street."
Allegro Pizza employee Brittany Marchant also believes Penn students have great food choices.
She said there are many places, like Allegro, where students can find "pretty much everything you could want as far as pizza and cheesesteaks and hoagies and salads."
Other students are not affected by the retail options around campus because they see little need to spend excess money at school.
"I'm trying to save my money, and it's more convenient just to go out to dinner with my hallmates and do my shopping for clothes at home and be really conservative with anything else I do just to save my money," College freshman Laura Swenson said.
Kehr, who also opts for the dining halls regularly, said, "I personally feel like if your parents pay for your meal plan that you should use it."
Nevertheless, she said that "it probably is a motivating force that the [dining hall] food isn't that great" for students to go out and spend money on meals.
College freshman Jon Lynch, who often chooses to eat in the dining halls, said that of the restaurant alternatives around Penn, "I don't know if there's enough variety at least on campus, and it's really expensive."
