Over the past quarter, Drexel University has faced an exodus of restaurants around campus. Casualties so far include Wawa, El Taco, D.P. Dough, and Mad Greek’s Pizza. Since their departure, there has been much speculation about what will happen to the spaces those establishments used to operate from.

The Rectangle has received a hint of what is to come. According to Brian Gells, Vice President of Operations at Wawa, “Unfortunately, we have had to close our 34th and Market location due to high crime rates despite security measures being in place. We believe that 33rd and Powelton will have absolutely no crime and that we will be able to open a full service location.”

Wawa is poised to face intense competition from a fifth on-campus Old Nelson Food Company location opening right next door where D.P. Dough formerly was. Both are popular convenience stores offering hoagies and snacks, but Old Nelson uses fresher and higher quality ingredients.

These deals are contingent on approval from the city’s Department of Licenses and Inspections. Residents living in the apartments upstairs have complained about rodents and cockroaches in the building. Students are encouraged to consume these foods with caution.

While the Powelton landlord has managed to obtain two competitive tenants, Drexel remains broke without the rental income from Wawa. Over the past fiscal year, Drexel has taken several financial hits including legal judgments, reductions to federal funding, higher staff retention costs, and the resident assistants union demanding Plan B pills. Without a new tenant, Drexel is planning to move forward with a plan to increase parking rates and use the power of its police department to vigorously issue tickets to street parkers in an effort to discourage members of the Drexel community from not purchasing a parking pass.

As the fallout from the loss of so many restaurants begins to appear, students can breathe a sigh of relief that food options are returning to campus. Residential students in particular will surely appreciate having Wawa and Old Nelson closer to home. It remains to be seen what will become of the other abandoned spaces.

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