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The Rice Thresher
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by Liora Danan Thresher Editoral Staff
The Subway counter inside the convenience store will now stay open until 2 a.m. Monday through Thursday and until 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. This reverses the Sept. 25 reopening of Sammy's Late Night from 9 p.m. to midnight and the closing of Subway at 9 p.m. Ditman said Sammy's Late Night was operating at a loss and could not be sustained given the amount of business it received. Baker College junior Christina Yin said she supports reopening Subway at night. "I'd prefer Subway to be open because I think their food is better," Yin said. "I'd probably be more likely to eat at Subway instead of Sammy's." Other students said they preferred the variety at Sammy's. "I don't think [the decision to end Late Night] is a good idea because I like the variety that Sammy's has as opposed to Subway," Will Rice College senior Kris Chikelue said. "Sammy's has pizza, sandwiches, fruits and salads, and Subway is just Subway." However, Ditman said he hopes to include some of the Sammy's Late Night food options at the convenience store, and buying new equipment to serve pizza or hamburgers might be an option. "What's particularly important to me now is that we have the right things in the convenience store," Ditman said. He said additional Subway items, such as soups or other sandwich options, may also be offered. The convenience store currently sells microwaveable foods, but convenience store manager Angel Thomas said the microwave is not used frequently. Before Late Night was reopened, Subway and the convenience store made about $500 in revenue during each 9 p.m. to midnight period, Ditman said. After Sept. 25, Late Night brought in about $350 in sales each night, while the convenience store's revenue during these hours amounted to another $200. However, opening Late Night approximately doubled labor expenses, Ditman said, which more than cancelled out the slight increase in revenue. "Subway requires less sales per labor hour to be economically viable," he said. Ditman said he partially attributes the decrease in Late Night sales from last year to the new meal plan, because students have to use tetra points instead of their meal plan at Sammy's. At the Sept. 25 Student Association meeting, some students brought up the idea of allowing Late Night to count as a meal for students with meal plans. At the time, then-Assistant Director of Food Operations Matt Morgan said he thought that if hot breakfast were served at four rather than all eight of the colleges, enough money might be saved to fund a late-night meal. However, Ditman calculated that closing four of the colleges during breakfast would save $78,000, or roughly $45 per student per year. Ditman said these savings would not be sufficient to fund a meal at Sammy's. "To extend the meal plan to Sammy's would absolutely have upward pressure on the price of the meal plan," Ditman said. Ditman said once a new director of food operations is hired, late-night food service at the Student Center will be one of the director's main challenges. The selection committee for the position is currently reviewing two finalists out of approximately 30 applicants for the directorship, Ditman said. Rice Catering Director Angela Riggs is currently serving as the interim food director, aided by Thomas. The director position has been open since Morgan left Rice on Sept. 22 for a job in the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District. Students can send suggestions or concerns about the convenience store, Sammy's or Subway by e-mail to samangel@rice.edu.
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