U Got Munchies will open a restaurant on Broad Street in the coming weeks.
U Got Munchies, a popular food truck that made its way to Main Campus last semester, is slated to open its first restaurant this semester next door to the Owl’s Nest.
The restaurant, to be located at 2012 N. Broad St., will also be named U Got Munchies, but will offer more food for Temple students to indulge in, such as loaded hotdogs and Italian hot and mild sausages.
“It’s always been a kind of long-term goal to open up a restaurant,” owner Donald Altman said. “We were reaching limits with the truck and saw the opportunity to open up the restaurant and decided to go with it.”
Altman started U Got Munchies with fellow friends and co-owners, Adam Zeserman, Alexander Kipphut and James Maropoulos.
The business originally started in March 2010 as an online late-night snack delivery service. The four friends bought food, took pictures, posted them online and waited for hungry students to begin ordering.
At the time, few places offered late-night options for students. The owners of U Got Munchies believed that Temple deserved more, they said. So they brought a truck, known affectionately as the “Munchies truck,” remodeled the inside and began working on a menu.
“The Munchies truck will still be open until the restaurant is up and going and then after,” Altman said. “I want it to maintain a presence on [Main Campus], especially for students who commute and live off campus.”
The popular food truck had experienced some space limitations as a result of ordering options that allow customers to order on the phone and online. These problems—along with long lines—contributed to the idea of opening a restaurant.
Altman and co-owners felt that these issues were not only making it difficult to serve their customers, but was also deterring them from providing an alternative place where students can dine.
“I think the restaurant will be successful,” junior architecture major Amanda Mazidan said. “Especially if they have good hours that work for students.”
Currently, U Got Munchies is open Monday through Wednesday from 11 a.m. to midnight, and Thursday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 2 a.m.
Altman added that the brick-and-mortar restaurant may possibly stay open past midnight.
U Got Munchies offers food for college students on-the-go, such as sandwiches, wraps and loaded french fries.
“I don’t eat much on campus,” senior film major Chris Thomas said. “But if they were to open a restaurant, I would probably stop by. Especially if they have an option [to use] Diamond Dollars.”
Describing it as “being at the right place at the right time,” Altman said that everything about preparing the restaurant has been exciting. He hopes to bring a better experience to late night eating.
“What we do is fun, everyone enjoys it,” Altman added. “Overall, I want the other restaurants around here to have to step up their game.”
Dominique Johnson can be reached at dominique.johnson@temple.edu.
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