Late-night Hoot turns quick profit

By Catherine Bratic     2/25/10 6:00pm

Late-night munchies beware: The Hoot has its target set on after-dark hunger. Since the student-run late-night eatery opened Jan. 11, it has become the go-to spot for night-owl students to buy food and drinks. Open Sunday through Friday from 10 p.m.-2 a.m., the stand sells subs from Jersey Mike's, fountain drinks and full or half-portions of large pizzas from Domino's.

The idea of an after-hours food service point was originally brought up by Housing and Dining in response to demands received from students in recent years, Director of Residential Dining David McDonald said. As the West Servery was being planned, McDonald saw the potential to enact such an idea.

However, the implementation had to wait a semester.

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"In the kitchens, just like in the new dorms, we had plenty of minor start-up issues to deal with first," McDonald said.

Although the initiative came from Housing and Dining, now that The Hoot has opened, it is entirely student-run, director and manager of The Hoot Trey O'Neill said.

O'Neill, a Will Rice College senior, was originally approached by McDonald to head such a project while working as the general manager of Willy's Pub last spring.

"Originally I said no, but then I had to go call them back," O'Neill said. "Three months of summer went by and I changed my mind."

Housing and Dining provided $5,000 to help start the program, but it is now completely self-sufficient. O'Neill said The Hoot plans to repay that loan soon.

On an average night, The Hoot sells upward of 35 subs and 65 pizzas and does an average of $650 in business, O'Neill said.

"I think it's a welcome addition," he explained. "For the north colleges, it's right next door. You don't have to wait to order any food, and the prices are actually cheaper than you'd get if you were to order out."

The Hoot keeps its prices low by depending on student labor, McDonald said. Nineteen students make up the current staff, each working two-hour shifts in exchange for food coupons while The Hoot works to make an initial profit.

"If it were staffed by our current dining staff, I can't pay somebody for five hours with just free food," McDonald said.

McDonald also said there would also be logistical problems of getting H&D employees to and from campus after hours, but the student-run arrangement has turned out to be superior regardless.

"This place is really by and for the students," he said. "Plus, they're already all up at 2 a.m. anyway."

Manager Michelle Kerkstra, a Will Rice senior, said if The Hoot's success continues, employees might start receiving wages, as Coffeehouse and Willy's Pub employees do.

The future may hold expansion plans for The Hoot as well, O'Neill said. As plans for the East Servery are being finalized, students are starting to ask if another late night service point can be installed there.

"I'm worried about going back to Will Rice next year," sophomore Nick Riggall said. "They should really open one at [the] south [colleges]."

McDonald said while the new servery has no planned service point yet, expansion is being seriously considered.

Culinary expansions are also planned. For now, The Hoot's menu is limited to pizza, subs and sodas. While Kerkstra said this was typical college fare, she acknowledged that it didn't leave much room for healthy eating. The Hoot is currently working with Housing and Dining to be able to serve salads prepared ahead of time by West Servery staff, McDonald said.

For now, The Hoot's success is told by two measures. The first, of course, is its revenues.

"The data says, yes, this works," McDonald said. "They did a great job."

But a greater indication of The Hoot's reception on campus is the reaction of the students who have quickly transformed into loyal - and dependent - customers.

"Before The Hoot was here, what I used to do was just be hungry," Brown College senior Seth O'Brien said. "And then eat a huge breakfast.

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