By Brandon Addeo | The Duquesne Duke
Current renovations at the Subway located at Brottier Hall are nearing completion.
Rod Dobish, executive director of facilities management at Duquesne, said the renovations will be finished by the end of the month. The restaurant should be open by Jan. 31, Dobish said.
The project, which began on the first week of the winter break, was carried out as a part of the lease agreement with Subway.
“When we renewed the lease, [Subway] had to do an upgrade renewal so that the facility would be given a better appearance,” Dobish said.
Upgrades to the facility included the construction of a handicap ramp, replacement of the flooring, and an upgrade to the restaurant’s HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) system. These improvements came about as a result of the stipulations of the lease agreement with Subway, which requires parts of the facility to be upgraded upon renewal.
“The project started small, cosmetic stuff,” Dobish said. “We ended up looking at a couple other things and added to the job, and this extended [the job time] a little bit.”
The cost to replace the HVAC and install the handicap ramp alone cost about $50,000, according to Dobish. The cost of the project was incurred jointly by both the University and Subway, under the terms of the lease.
Assistant Director of Residence Life Matthew Ireland explained the importance of having eateries like Subway on campus.
“Students like having a variety of options, a variety of places to go besides their meal plan,” Ireland said. “It’s a great additional offering, having restaurants close by that are not part of the meal plan.”
Ireland also discussed the potential for restaurants to open for business in the area around the campus itself, particularly on Forbes and Fifth Avenue.
“Some of those buildings are older, and some are being bought and renovated,” Ireland said. “As those go on…there is more opportunity for [restaurant] ventures.”
Ireland said that the area is a prime location for any future University expansion projects, but the introduction of other privately owned restaurants would be highly beneficial to students.
Dobish said he believes that students will appreciate the upgrades that have been given to the Subway.
“I want to reiterate that we apologize for the inconvenience but I think the end result is going to be a much better facility,” Dobish said.
