Patton Hall’s dining facility will begin 24-hour operations Monday-Thursday this fall after the new option was announced last semester, according to Susanne Paltz, assistant director of PantherDining insourced operations.
Paltz said 24-hour access is being offered to enhance meal plan experience and provide students with options when they want or need to eat. Overnight hours for Patton Hall will be Mondays from 7 a.m. through Thursday at midnight.
Lenore Musick, director of PantherDining said budgeting played a part in the decisions they made.
“…We analyzed the customer counts this past year on Fridays after 7 p.m. and they dropped off dramatically so it did not seem feasible to be open on Friday late night,” Musick said.
Patton Hall will stop 24-hour access on Friday and close at 8 p.m.
London Delks, a freshman psychology major, said the 24-hour access makes her want to purchase a meal plan.
“I personally like the idea of a 24 hour dining hall,” Delks said. “We all have that late night craving. Then it’s getting your full money’s worth being able to eat whenever you want.”
For late night dining, Delks said she would like to see cereal, pizza and healthy options.
Sophomore journalism major, Kieran Beckford, said she is in favor of the extended dining hours.
“Somebody who is up late studying for a test or waking up very early for their job can grab a bite to eat,” Beckford said. “When it’s late I usually crave cereal, pancakes, fruit, pizza and desserts.”
Grilled items such as hamburgers, hot dogs and pizza will be served at FIRED UP GRILL and salad options at Garden Patch will be offered until 2 a.m.
After 2 a.m. pancakes, omelets and French toast will be served, according to Musick. Waffles and cereals will also be offered all day.
For those seeking employment, PantherDining is currently accepting applications from students, even though they are currently at capacity, according to Tiffany Loggins, assistant coordinator of PantherDining.
“We always constantly take people on as permanent subs because especially when people change their schedules and towards the end of the semester, people are kind of dropping shifts because they need to study,” she said. “I think right now we are kind of full at capacity. We have about 70 students working at Piedmont North and about 25 working at Patton.”
Patton Hall and Piedmont North’s meal plan requirements add $1,863 to the dorm’s price per semester, according to Georgia State’s website.
But Beckford also said she does not think the meal plan should be mandatory for those staying in Piedmont North and Patton Hall.
The seven-day and five-day meal plan price has increased by $34 dollars from the previous school year’s price. Currently the price for a year-long meal plan is $3,726 for seven-day dining and $3,524 for five-day dining, according to the PantherDining website.
Paltz said the 24-hour access will not impact pricing for students at this time.
Meal plans are a full year commitment and gives diners unlimited “all you care to eat” access.
