New Closing Time for Campus Eateries Leave Students Upset
By Keyon Gardner | Published Nov 18, 2022
The Dining halls located in the Miron Student Center and the Nancy Thompson Library are closing approximately 3 to 4 hours earlier this semester leaving students with very few options after a long day.
Eating throughout the day is very essential for students as it helps them gain the energy they need to function properly inside the classroom and on their assignments.
Smashburger, Auntie Anne’s, Jersey Mike’s, Bamboo- Asian Fusion, Chef’s Corner, Knead Pizza, Piccola Italia, and Sono all of which are located in the Miron Student Center closes at 4 p.m. Cougars Den now closes at 7 p.m. compared to its former 11 p.m. closing time.
Starbucks and the commuter cafe are all closing early now too. Not to mention, the Starbucks on the third floor in the Center for Academic Success has not reopened since students returned to campus post-pandemic.
Between juggling classes and work, the students of Kean University find it convenient to stop at one of the campus eateries to grab a meal. The adjusted operating hours of the eateries not only force Kean students to find somewhere else to eat, but it also doesn’t give students enough time to buy food if their classes exceed the closing time of the restaurants on campus.
Jordan Fenner, a junior and Information Technology major said, “The early closing time affects more than the way I eat, it affects the way I move throughout my day.”
Fenner shares his concern that he won’t be able to find a meal once he gets out of his 4 p.m. class. His only options would then be to eat at the residents’ dining hall, grab a meal from Cougars Den, eat off campus or just stay hungry for the remainder of the day.
Eddie Bradley, a senior majoring in accounting is furious that the school decided to inconvenience them into looking for other alternatives.
“I think it is completely unacceptable that the eateries on campus are closing a bit early because now you’re expecting students to buy food when a lot of students aren’t working … as a Kean student, where am I supposed to spend money that I do not have,” Bradley said.
The hours in the resident dining halls were extended at the beginning of the semester to allow students who finish classes late, or for athletes who finish practice late to have a meal. This forces a handful of students to either eat off campus or pay a little extra money to eat in the dining hall where they are spending anywhere from $12 to $15.
After speaking with a couple of Kean students, it was made clear that the students of Kean are outraged and upset that the campus eateries are closing early. Some students were not even aware and were shocked about the early closing times.
Vanessa, a senior majoring in global business, is worried that her long days on Kean will be a struggle since the eateries are closing early.
“I have long days here, and with the early closing of restaurants on campus, it will affect my eating schedule because anywhere else would be too much of a distance,” said
Kean students have argued that they do not like eating food in the cafeteria or dining hall because the quality of the food is not the same when compared to the up-brand eateries on campus.
Ayana Gilbert, a junior majoring in criminal justice at Kean is very upset that her options are now very limited and voiced her distaste for meals prepared by Gourmet Dining.
“I have to eat earlier than what I usually eat because they close way too early and you’re only limited to just eating the nasty diner food in the cafe,” Gilbert said.
Tom Mcclane, a Junior transfer majoring in graph design, shared his opinion and feels as though the early closing of the campus eateries wouldn’t make that much of a difference than it closing at a later time.
“For the food services they have around campus, I feel like closing around 4 or 5 is a reasonable time given that these aren’t the main catering services on campus even though they are everybody’s favorite places to go to because of the better quality of food,” Mcclane said. “I feel like it shouldn’t have that much effect on students unless they have a mid-day class.”
The early closing of the campus eateries has impacted half of the Kean students and while some feel as though there is no major difference made, this will only force more students to not eat campus food.