New late-night dining fills gap left by Burger King
This semester, the University’s Dining Services will remain open as long as the city of Boston is awake — even after the MBTA has called it a night.
In response to student cravings, Dining Services has extended its hours at two campus locations. Shelton Hall and West Campus are now open until 1 a.m. Sunday through Wednesday, and until 2 a.m. on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
Students do not have to swipe their ID cards to access the dining halls, making the service available to students who live in other residence halls or in off-campus apartments.
“Students want a place where they can get food after midnight, and a place where they can hang out,” says Jonah Goldberg (CAS’07), the vice president of the Student Union. “We know people want a late-night food fix, and we’d rather keep them on campus because it’s safe.”
The opportunity to eat late has always been a priority for students, but many became concerned about late-night dining options on and around campus when the Burger King restaurant at 645 Commonwealth Ave., which was typically open until 2 a.m., closed in June. The Office of the Dean of Students received a number of e-mails over the summer from students suggesting an alternative venue. “We’ve been slowly working our way toward this, and the closing of the Burger King sort of ramped things up,” says Joshua Hubbard, the director of Dining Services. “It was a good cooperative effort.”
Dining Services worked with the Student Union to come up with the new plan, which extends the regular late-night service that is available in Myles Standish, Towers, and Warren Towers until midnight every day. Menu items usually include pizza, burgers, salads, and other snacks.
A University building will eventually go up on the Burger King site, but the Student Union hopes to work with administrators to develop another campus restaurant at the location. “Our goal is to make the first floor of the building a student diner,” says Union President Jon Marker (CAS’07).