Although the Undergraduate Assembly is making efforts to bring students late-night dining options, Penn Dining officials say the initiative’s success will depend entirely on students.
According to College junior and UA Chairman Alec Webley, the group is engaging with the student community to see what late-night dining options students want.
“Everything’s on the table,” he said. “New vendors, ... keeping Houston Hall open, keeping 1920 Commons dining hall open. We are thinking about all possible options and asking students what they want.”
About a month ago, the UA released a survey on student preferences for late-night dining services. It included questions about location, types of vendors and food options. So far, the survey — which Webley said is still open — has received 1,363 responses.
“The goal of the survey was twofold,” UA member Tyler Ernst, a Wharton and Engineering sophomore, explained in an e-mail. “We wanted to identify undergraduate demand for late night dining options, [and] we wanted to determine — in the presence of adequate demand — where the venue should be located, on what days and at what times the venue should be open and what food/drink options should be provided.”
Although the survey results have not been released, so far, a larger number of freshmen have responded compared with other classes, according to Webley. Freshmen have also been overwhelmingly interested in Houston Hall Dining.
Student preferences are also correlated with where respondents live. Off-campus residents have so far been interested in dining options on 40th Street, while residents in Hill, Harrison and Rodin college houses are interested in extending hours for 1920 Commons dining hall.
Healthy options and coffee have been the most popular food choices, and the majority of students wanted to see more late night hours on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, rather than throughout the rest of the week.
According to Webley, the biggest challenge in the past was the students' use of the late-night vendors.
“Students enjoy the comfort and convenience of late night dining, but they don’t especially use late night dining,” he said. “We want to find something students will really use and something that will work as a business model for Penn Dining.”
In fall 2008, 1920 Commons offered late-night hours, but these were cut back in the spring semester.
Business Services Executive Director Doug Berger said in the past students did not take advantage of late-night dining hours, and that was the driving reason the hours were eliminated.
“We found during the 9 p.m. to 12 a.m. slot, we had maybe 20 guests at the dining hall,” he said. “It just wasn’t financially paying for itself.”
Business Services spokeswoman Barbara Lea-Kruger said Penn Dining is interested in looking at all survey results to see if the interests of both students and the University can be met.
“A lot will depend on student feedback, but also what is viable,” she said, adding that Penn Dining is open to the idea of late-night dining so long as the business model is able to cover necessary costs.
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