After two years of negotiations, a Wolfgang Puck restaurant will not come to Ackerman Union.
Puck’s representatives could not invest more than $750,000, although they had initially projected the project’s cost to be around $1 million.
“They didn’t think it would give them an adequate return on their investment,” said Rich Delia, the Associated Students UCLA financial director.
ASUCLA had hoped to install the restaurant on the south patio of Ackerman’s first floor, near Rubio’s Mexican Grill, to offer students higher-class dining. The eatery would have offered a quiet environment and a more enclosed space.
Puck representatives were also planning a special student menu, said Bob Williams, ASUCLA executive director.
“They were doing some great custom work for us,” he said. “They had done a great design, and the project had gone very far. We’re kind of surprised it lost momentum so late.”
The company was apologetic with their withdrawal, Williams said. Both sides had already invested money on the design and architecture of the restaurant.
Williams said ASUCLA will continue to pursue the idea of a casual dining establishment, although a restaurant may emerge in a new location where it would cost less to build.
“We’re still committed to that menu concept, but we have to find a way to make it work for us and our partner,” Williams said.
Students remain in favor of the idea, too.
Considering how much time she spends on campus, Mayumi Namikoshi, a fourth-year psychology student, said she would like to see more of a selection in Ackerman.
Victoria Chau, a fourth-year biology student, agreed.
“Having another restaurant here would add more variety, and I wouldn’t be stuck with fatty foods,” she said. “I’d probably be more interested in coming here than Westwood.”