Students may have noticed hour changes to the Falcon’s Nest this year, and the changes won’t stop there.
The Nest Outtakes is open an extra three hours, until 9 p.m., due to requests from the Undergraduate Student Government, said Michael Paulus, director of Dining Services.
Students may notice additional changes to opening and closing hours in other dining halls next semester, as Dining Services continues to evaluate them. Find these times online at www.dineoncampus.com/bgsu
USG President Alex Solis expressed his concern to Dining Services last year when he noticed that there was only one option for late night food, Marco’s Pizza.
“When I noticed how students were utilizing the Nest during the night time heavily, I talked with some students and [USG] about adding another option for students other than Marco’s Pizza,” Solis said.
Operating hours for various concepts are determined by student traffic, Paulus said.
“Students needed more snack items available during early evening meetings in the Union,” Paulus said.
Sensors in the doorways of the Union monitor traffic every 15 minutes, allowing Dining Services to evaluate the busiest and slowest times, said Sara Meyer, communication director for Dining Services.
Operating costs for each dining facility are reviewed each fall, spring and summer, which also helps determine when to change hours, Paulus said.
“This helped us determine when the traffic is the highest and lowest, so we could determine when to add or cut hours,” Meyer said.
Even though Dining Services tacked on three hours to the Nest Outtakes, it wasn’t expensive to do so, as the only additional cost is paying one worker for three additional hours.
For Solis, the collaboration between USG and Dining Services was a positive one, and now they are seeing the benefits, he said.
“Overall, Dining Services was excited to work with us when we asked for this hour extension,” Solis said. “The traffic has been extremely positive since the change this year.”
Because efficiency in maintaining operational costs help to keep both menu and meal plan pricing low for students, this won’t effect food costs in the long run.
“This positive change will only bring money to Dining Services and happier students,” Solis said.
