The Jerk Pit will open up in the former College Perk building at Route 1 and University Boulevard later this week, its owner said.
The Jerk Pit is trading its strip mall storefront for a full-size house formerly occupied by alternative coffeehouse the College Perk — a location the owner hopes will garner more business but students said they might be less likely to travel to.
The Jamaican restaurant is moving nearly a mile north of the Campus Village shopping center to the building at the corner of Route 1 and University Boulevard. That location was once occupied by the College Perk until its owner lost the property to foreclosure in January 2009.
The restaurant, whose original storefront closed Sunday, will be reopened by tomorrow or Friday to offer its Jamaican jerk chicken dishes to walk-in and delivery customers, said Lisa Rose, who opened the restaurant in 2005. The new facility will offer a 50-percent expansion, a more visible location, a private dining area and outdoor porch, she said, providing patrons with a more authentic, laid-back island feel.
“The fact that it has an outdoor area and, in the summertime, it’ll be great for people to enjoy the weather and give you more of the Caribbean feel, more so than being in a shopping center,” Rose said. “The trees, the deck, the porch — the setup is more in line with what a jerk pit is.”
And the restaurant will continue selling its classic dish, jerk, a type of food cooked in Jamaica on a charcoal grill with a variety of spicy seasonings, such as pimento, scallion and Scottish bonnet peppers.
“A lot of the students love our chicken and jerk pork sandwiches. Our specialty is jerk: jerk chicken, shrimp and tofu,” Rose said, adding that she also offers increasingly popular vegetarian and vegan options.
Although Rose said her new location at a major crossroads will likely attract more passing motorists, it may alienate some existing fans.
Senior economics major Freddie Tchuente said he’s a fan of The Jerk Pit’s fried fish and plantains — “I gotta support my Jamaican” — but he added the move may hinder him from trekking out there as frequently.
Matt Reilly, a freshman engineering major, said he visited Jamaica last year and fell for the savory jerk chicken and beef, but the new location is too far from his dorm.
“I live in Denton — even Route 1 is far away,” he said. “It makes [The Jerk Pit] an outside possibility for what I’m thinking of for dinner.”
Rose is confident these reactions will be in the minority.
“We deliver; we’re only half a mile away from where we were,” she said. “It’s not like it’s a considerable amount of difference.”
Rose said the move has been hectic, but she’s ready to open up shop this week.
“I’m excited about it because there’s a lot more visibility — we have an opportunity to serve to more customers — and the setting is in line with the Jamaican trend,” she said. “I look forward to the summertime; it’s going to be pretty great.”
And will there be any specials for the grand opening that is potentially slated for next weekend?
“They’ll have to come and find that out,” Rose said.
Patrons seeking alcoholic beverages with their jerk will have to wait. According to District 2 College Park City Councilman Bob Catlin, The Jerk Pit will be appearing before the Prince George’s County Board of License Commissioners in December to ask for permission to transfer its liquor license to the new location.
roubein at umdbk dot com
