Wolfgang Puck, a casual dining restaurant in Ackerman Union, is scheduled to open to the public on Wednesday.
The restaurant is offering a sample service for select people or groups in the days leading up to the opening so that the staff can gain some experience, said Bob Williams, the executive director of Associated Students UCLA, in an emailed statement.
The restaurant’s patio furniture will not arrive until a few days after the opening and restaurant officials are still finalizing the liquor license, but Wolfgang Puck will open without them so that the restaurant staff can train before school starts, Williams said.
By the end of zero week, Wolfgang Puck will have full service, including patio seating and beer and wine available for purchase, Williams added.
Wolfgang Puck has similar casual dining restaurants on other university campuses, including the University of Southern California and the University of Chicago.
In 2007, ASUCLA planned to open a Wolfgang Puck restaurant that would serve beer and wine. They decided to create the restaurant in response to a student vote indicating overwhelming student approval for such a place on campus, said Cindy Bolton, the food service director for ASUCLA, in December 2012. The plan never came to fruition, though, because of the economic recession resulting in budget cuts for both ASUCLA and Wolfgang Puck, according to Daily Bruin archives.
Construction on the restaurant began in November 2012, according to Daily Bruin archives.
Compiled by Yael Levin, Bruin senior staff.