Virginia Tech's dining halls should stay open later

Wednesday, October, 24, 2012; 10:09 PM | 27 | | Print

by Adam Rothe, regular columnist

Virginia Tech has the best on-campus dining in the country. From Turner Place at Lavery Hall’s gourmet hibachi steakhouse and handmade bagels to West End Market’s filet mignon and Sunday brunch, dining services has got it right. The only problem with the award-winning dining halls is their closing times.

All the dining halls, except for DX, Deet’s Place and select restaurants in Turner Place, close either between 7-9 p.m. each day, meaning if you wish to eat on campus, you have to brave the huge crowds packing each dining hall between the peak dinner hours of 6-7 p.m.

What happens if you have a class in the middle of that time period? I have a class on Thursday that ends at 6:35 p.m., so I can either go straight from my class to eat, or have dinner at 5 p.m. before my class starts. Like many other students I have talked to, my eating schedule is absurd, thanks to these awkward class times and the dining centers’ closing hours.

For example, I may have lunch at 1 or 2 p.m. because I have a class at noon, then dinner at 6 p.m., but what happens when I am hungry again at 11 after studying for a few hours? Of course there is DX, but after a while, that becomes tiring.

The dining hours take a toll on study habits as well. I cannot study when I am hungry because I am unable to focus. This transfers over to my recall abilities when trying to learn new information. I will not remember the information I want to because my brain is not stimulated and I am hungry.

If the dining halls simply remained open until 10:30 p.m., it would make it much easier to have a late dinner or get a meal before another round of studying. I know this would mean making our wonderful Dining Services staff work later hours, but it would benefit the overall academic achievement of the student body.

Instead of going to DX and buying four food items, I could simply go purchase one meal at Owen’s Hall and have the energy to study without my stomach rumbling for my next meal.

This would also help students with their eating schedule. We could have later lunches because there are more options for a later dinner. Instead of having to starve through an assignment, the dining halls would present a way to get the necessary nutritional requirements to achieve a good grade.

The later dining hours would also provide yet another place for convenient studying, especially for freshmen — since all the dining halls, excluding Turner Place, are on the residential side of campus.

Later dining hours would make the already amazing cuisine options more accessible and help students perform better academically. I mean, who doesn't want to study after consuming a grilled chicken caesar wrap from West End?

A version of this article appeared in the Oct 25 issue of the Collegiate Times.

Leave a comment 27 Comments Write a letter to the editor

Philip | # October 24, 2012 @ 10:18 PM — Flag Comment

You are whining.

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Ezra K. | # October 24, 2012 @ 10:29 PM — Flag Comment

This article neglects one thing...the majority of the employees that work until close at the dining halls are students; I am one of those. A lot of these students are working because they NEED the money. Staying open even later would definitely impact the grades of these students. You emphasize in the article how it would improve grades and whatnot. This is a complete contradiction. Good luck trying to find students who are willing to stay at work until almost midnight on a school night. There are some who can do it and not have it ruin their grades, but I feel like I can speak for the vast majority who would not be happy with a change like this.

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Hokie Grill employee | # October 25, 2012 @ 12:58 AM — Flag Comment

This guy is right to a degree, but I definitely agree with the article. My proposal is somewhere in between though. Basically I think Hokie Grill has it right closing at 9. Not bad for working and plenty of time to eat. Maybe move it back to 930, Owens and west end to 9, and D2/Turner to 8. Its crazy that D2 and Turner close at 7. I have class until 645, so they arent even an option. And only my grandma would eat dinner at 5. 7 is way more normal for people our age. Also, Turner or D2 should be open on Saturday. Do they think students just dont eat on the weekends?

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I'm a crybaby | # October 25, 2012 @ 7:42 AM — Flag Comment

I agree. We should tailor our dining hall hours to fit Adam's schedule.

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Generals | # October 25, 2012 @ 1:00 PM — Flag Comment

maybe there are some non-students willing to work the later hours that students are unavailable for.

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Anonymous | # October 25, 2012 @ 1:09 PM — Flag Comment

While I also have class and work all day until either 6:15 or 6:45 each day of the week, I think the hours are reasonable for the majority of the students and for Dining Services. Sure, I'd like to hit up Turner Place after my 6:45 or visit West End later at night, but it's ridiculous to ask them to cater to my personal schedule. I get things to-go and learn to plan my dining visits around the times the times they are open and the times I can make it.

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Anonymous | # October 25, 2012 @ 1:10 PM — Flag Comment

All of the wage people work during the day because most students can't. They aren't allowed to stay later because most are not approved for overtime.

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Anonymous | # October 25, 2012 @ 1:38 PM — Flag Comment

Seriously kid, go buy some peanut butter, jelly and bread. Make yourself a damn sandwich.

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Anonymous | # October 25, 2012 @ 1:49 PM — Flag Comment

No doubt. That's what dorm fridges are for...

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Dining hall worker | # October 25, 2012 @ 1:55 PM — Flag Comment

True, wage employees generally can't have OT and are limited to 1500 hours total during the school year.

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Anonymous | # October 25, 2012 @ 4:06 PM — Flag Comment

Here's some math: increased hours of operation = increase in labor costs = larger increase in cost of meal plan. Is it worth paying more on my meal plan so Adam can eat late? I don't think so...

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Anonymous | # October 26, 2012 @ 12:28 PM — Flag Comment

I assume many of these commenters are Dining Services admin staff upset that somebody would dare suggest changes to their little empire. The article writer may be asking a bit too much with 10:30 hours, but he presented his opinion in a mostly respectful way. The only people seeing 'whining' in this article are being overly-defensive.

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north face jackets sale | # November 2, 2012 @ 10:22 AM — Flag Comment