Despite hopes that several local Bowling Green businesses would have a space in the new student Union, administrators have decided to mainly utilize the campus dining services.

Downtown businesses such as Domino’s Pizza and Cosmo’s Coffeehouse are among those being denied space in the Union and are concerned with the possibility of a drop in business.

“It’s a real concern,” Cosmo’s owner George Loper said. He stated that obviously students will go to closer food venues rather than come downtown.

Domino’s owner Rod Stringer said that the opening of the Union could “potentially devastate the Bowling Green economy.”

Food service is currently the largest money-maker in the city of Bowling Green. However, “it’s hard to compete against a meal card,” Stringer said.

Loper, who has been in business in Bowling Green for eight years, has “customers who are very upset that the University doesn’t believe that they (Cosmo’s) can operate both locations and adequately serve customers.”

“The University thinks that the students want big chains,” Loper said. “Bowling Green says they want the best.” According to him, this apparently doesn’t include small, unfamiliar restaurants.

00020000069B000004D20;695, Loper, who has a petition of 60 faculty members indicating Cosmo’s should be included in the Union food court, said he “never even had the dignity of a phone call from the University after their decision had been made.”

“Lots of time and money went into planning my proposal, and all the necessary deadlines were met,” Loper said. He said that a lack of professionalism on the part of the University was very disappointing for the nature of this project.

Domino’s, which operates more than 100 restaurants located in universities, is disappointed that they “didn’t even have an opportunity” to be included in the Union food court, Stringer said. The University “brought in businesses outside of Bowling Green, which was a double whammy. Everyone knows that Domino’s has been trying to get a space in the Union since the announcement that the old one (Union) would be torn down,” Stringer said.

The Vice- President of the Domino’s Corporation, Dan McVey, who has been responsible for the opening of numerous Domino’s on college campuses, attempted to do the same here in Bowling Green.

“He couldn’t even get a meeting set up, and this is what he does for a living,” Stringer said. Unreturned phone calls and playing “phone tag” were just two of the problems involved with an attempt to work with the university, Stringer said. He said, “It’s very hard to contact the right person, and no one knows who is in charge, they only know it’s not them.”

With Domino’s Pizza and Cosmo’s Coffeehouse among the businesses left out of the new student Union, Stringer said, ” I sure wish I would have known who to bribe.”

The BG News was unable to contact the Union for comment.