After a trial start, University students are now able to purchase the delectable dishes of Thai Gardens using meal-plan points. On Thursday, Thai Gardens started accepting points during select hours of operation.
“We were approached by Tim Reiss of Dining Services,” said Pat Hopkins, a spokesperson for the restaurant. “We were told that the students and administration supported off-campus dining, and approached local restaurants about the idea.”
Bringing points to Thai Gardens was a long process of negotiations and contracts that started mid-fall. Manny Cunard, Director of Auxiliary Services, said that the idea for points at Thai Gardens originated from a student request.
“Last spring there was a very strong student demand to eat off campus,” Cunard said.
Hopkins also stated that University students have expressed interest in Thai Gardens accepting points for a while now.
“They kept asking the owner if they would ever be accepting points,” Hopkins said. “Of course none of us knew what that meant at first.”
Last Dec., the restaurant held what is called a “soft opening,” where, for a one-day trial, they accepted points to see what kind of a response it would generate.
“It went very well,” Hopkins said. “Especially considering the blizzard that day. Plenty of students showed up.”
Even more students showed up this past Thurs. for the official start of points at Thai Gardens. According to Hopkins, students began to show up as early as 7:45 p.m., but they patiently waited until 8 p.m. when the restaurant officially starts taking points on weekdays.
Nuntiya Sripa, owner of Thai Gardens, commented that all of the students seemed excited.
“It was a lot of preparation,” Hopkins said, who added that there were plenty of waiters and kitchen staff on hand, and an extra wok pan in the kitchen to expedite orders.
To accommodate the University, Thai Gardens is only open for select hours.
“In consideration of the union, we do not accept points until after main campus dining is closed,” Hopkins said.
There are also certain times on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays when Wesleyan students wishing to dine-in must make reservations in order to be seated. These times are Friday and Saturday between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m., and on Sundays between 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.
“We do not want to inconvenience the students…to have them get to the restaurant and have them wait for a long time for a table,” Hopkins said, who also said that a certain amount of tables will be reserved for Wesleyan students at nights.
Students also always have the option of ordering to-go dishes during the dining point hours of operations, including reservation hours.
“It is a good thing for students and for us,” Hopkins said. “[Local] businesses can greatly appreciate the economic power of the University.”
According to Cunard, points at Thai Gardens is part of a larger program called Middletown Points Program, which will involve a number of retailers in the area. The Points Program will consist of a discretionary account, separate from the meal plan of points, allowing students to shop at participating stores.
“This is not new…may schools already have this,” Cunard said, “Wesleyan is just trying to catch up.”
So far there has been a generally positive student response to points at Thai Gardens.
“The food is great and is reasonably priced for the portions that you get,” said Tiffany Gooding ’04.
In the near future, Thai Gardens is looking to start delivering to campus, and also plans to run occasional specials just for Wesleyan students. Last Monday, the restaurant gave free Thai iced tea drinks to students. They will also offer combo specials and low-point specials for students near the end of the semester.
Thai Garden accepts points Monday thru Thursdays from 8 p.m. until 10 p.m., Friday from 5 p.m. until11 p.m., Saturday from 11:30 a.m. until 11 p.m., and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. until 10 p.m.
The Thai Gardens menu can be accessed online at www.ctmenusonline.com Also, Thai Gardens created a new phone line just for Wesleyan students to call: 860-344-8101.
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