Hoya Staff Writer Friday, September 1, 2006 Lindsay Anderson/The Hoya University officials said that contract disputes are responsible for delayed construction of an eatery in Darnall Hall.

More than a year after the cafeteria in Darnall Hall closed its doors, the space remains empty, and plans to open a restaurant there have been set back by ongoing negotiations. Margie Bryant, associate vice president for auxiliary services, said the university is still negotiating the terms of a 10-year lease with C.W. Chon, the restaurateur selected by the university to take over the space last spring. She said the restaurant would not be open by October, as Chon predicted last March. “I wish that we were further along than we are,” Bryant said. While the university agreed with Chon on the primary components of the contract, a few sticking points remained concerning the structure of the deal, she said. Epicurean’s contract is subject to additional review by the university because Epicurean is an income-earning entity. Chon, who owns the restaurant Epicurean and Company at 4250 Connecticut Ave. NW, plans for the space to consist of a cafeteria, a sit-down restaurant and a cocktail lounge. He declined to comment for this story. Chon is also involved in preliminary talks with Marriott, Georgetown’s primary food service provider, to reach an agreement under which students may use their meal plan at the new space in Darnall, Bryant said. “I am confident that we will be able to do that,” she said. Delays in university contracts are frequently longer than delays in other private commercial sectors because the contractual language is more complex, Bryant said. Bryant said that it took over a year of preparation to get a new outside food vendors moved into Hoya Court last year. While the lease agreement remains under negotiation, construction plans have moved forward. Preliminary floor plans received by the university in early August apportion the 15,000-square-foot space into three parts — a buffet space, a formal dining room with hibachi and barbecue grills, and the cocktail lounge, which remains tentative. Bryant said that Chon has already conducted extensive measurements and analysis on the space and is dedicated to the project being fully realized. “He’s very committed to getting this finished and being part of the university,” she said. While negotiations continue, the university has already begun construction of a new GOCard office along the western facade of Darnall. This step, which is set for completion within a month, is the first of several planned building alterations intended to increase the space available for the new restaurant. University officials have not projected a revised completion date for the new restaurant, though Chon said in March that construction would take six months from the signing of the lease agreement. Once Chon and the university have signed a lease, they must also secure a building permit, which may take up to several months.