Scoop deVille may be slated to open a location in Houston Hall, but it remains to be seen whether student traffic to the nation's oldest student union building will increase as a result.
"I think Scoop deVille would be a very good addition," College sophomore Sarah Friedman said. "It would be fun if they are open late at night."
College freshman Sarah Mayman, who already goes to Houston frequently, is also excited for the opening of the ice cream parlor.
"I'm sure it will be good," she said.
Tom Hauber, director of the Perelman Quadrangle, campus union and performing arts facilities, agrees that Scoop deVille's opening will be beneficial to the University.
"It'll add to the mix in the food court," Hauber said. "There'll be more offerings for people when they come here to eat or to relax."
The well-known gourmet ice cream and candy shop, based in Center City, has finalized plans to open by April 1 if everything goes according to schedule.
Construction began last week in the basement-level space once occupied by STA Travel.
While many students applaud the arrival of the Rittenhouse Square ice cream favorite, some do not plan to change their eating habits on campus.
"I'm indifferent," Wharton junior Ahmed Abdulrahim said, "but I do think more options in Houston Hall would be better."
And while Nursing freshman Abby Smith thinks bringing Scoop deVille to Houston is a good idea, she personally will not be pulled to the location by its arrival -- for nutrition reasons.
"I try to eat healthy during the week," Smith said.
Still, Hauber said that judging from past experience, he expects Scoop deVille's arrival to draw more students to the building located at 3417 Spruce St., not only for food, but also for other activities.
"We've had experience ... before when there were various shops here and people came in and got something like that, a dessert item or a treat," Hauber said, "and in fact lingered more and stayed longer and did studying or whatever."
Many students are not aware that Houston Hall is technically the Student Union Building -- created to be a teeming center of student activity -- because they are hardly ever there.
"I really don't go to Houston much anymore," Friedman. "I went a lot last year; I used to live in the Quad and it was really convenient."
But distance may not be the only reason for decreasing student interest in the facility.
Smith, who currently lives in the Quadrangle, does not go to Houston Hall much, either.
"I used to go there a lot in the beginning of the year, but I got sick of the food," Smith said.
She also feels that the setup of the eatery is slightly inconvenient for meals.
"It's kind of weird for the food part that you're in the basement," Smith said. "It's a little awkward going downstairs, but I like the building."
