Those craving more food options after midnight may now have a moderate resolution.
Starting next Monday, The Loop will change its hours yet again to remain open every day until 1 a.m., confirmed senior Sarah Ramig and junior Jason Taylor, co-chairs of the Duke University Student Dining Advisory Committee. The decision was announced Monday at DUSDAC's weekly meeting.
The restaurant had announced Oct. 14 that it would be closing at midnight instead of 2 a.m. Sunday through Wednesday because of labor and revenue issues.
To address the complaints expressed by students and discussed in an editorial by The Chronicle's independent Editorial Board concerning The Loop's earlier closing hours, Taylor said DUSDAC began talks with The Loop to find a solution that would best accommodate student interests.
Ramig and Taylor said they also considered other options with the restaurant, such as subsidies from Duke Dining, using a partial menu during later hours and returning to previous hours, but decided the alternatives were impractical and agreed on the changed hours.
"[We talked to the manager] and he suggested being open till 1 a.m. all days," Ramig said. "And we thought that sounded like a really good compromise because in the demand he's seeing there's still a significant amount of demand from midnight to 1 a.m., but from 1 a.m. to 2 a.m. it really drops off."
Ramig and Taylor added that The Loop would still be open until 2 a.m. during reading period.
Although Loop employee Nate Uhlenberg only found out about the changed hours Monday, he said he agreed with the decision, saying he had noticed a drop in business after 1 a.m. and heard students complain about the midnight closing time.
Some students said they appreciated the comparative variety in late-night dining options The Loop will provide, but added that the one-hour difference may not be significant.
"[Having] the extra two hours is nice, but there is not much of a difference between 1 a.m. and midnight," senior Sandra Morris said.
Other students like sophomore Rob Zuban, however, said he did not see eye-to-eye with limiting The Loop's hours on weekends.
"I think 2 a.m. is a better time for the Loop to be open on weekends because other than that there's only McDonald's," he said. "I would like for it be open until 2 a.m. every night, but I know not enough people come here."
Director of Dining Services Jim Wulforst could not immediately be reached for comment.
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