USF’s dining options close too early

USF’s dining options close early, sometimes leaving students hungry. ORACLE PHOTO/CAROLINA MOLERO ROCA

There have been many times when I had a day swamped with work and classes, and I simply did not have time to eat.

I would wake up, have a snack from my dorm, go to class, and have so much work that I’m occupied until the sun sets. It’s only then that I would have time to eat.

But it almost seems like whenever I’m ready to eat, every on-campus option is closed — and I end up having peanut butter crackers and ramen for dinner again.

Many dining options on the USF Tampa campus close too early for many students to fully take advantage of the university’s wide range of options.

First, there is the Marshall Student Center Food Court, which closes by 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday, by 4 p.m. on Friday, and is closed entirely on weekends.

The food court is arguably the best dining option on campus, with it hosting multiple fast-food chains such as Panda Express and Subway.

The dining options that close the latest are the Campus Brew and Market at Argos Exchange and the Market Go at the MSC — both of which are open far past midnight.

While they are a useful tool for students for food in a pinch, they don’t provide real meals like the other options on campus do.

USF students need more on-campus food options with extended hours to accommodate those who may not have the time to eat during the day.

Olivia Horn, a freshman history major, said she feels that on-campus dining options close too early on Fridays.

“It only closes early when I actually need to eat,” Horn said.

Bay Features in the MSC and the Subway at Cooper Hall close between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays, and even earlier on Fridays, at 2 p.m.

Some options are completely closed on weekends, such as Wild Blue Sushi in the Bullpen.

The weekends are usually when students have the most free time to go out and eat, but that’s when their options are most limited.

This makes the many diverse campus options feel quite limited despite how many there are. It greatly limits students’ food choices.

Argos Exchange is one of the best options for consistent, timely access to good food.

Argos’ Campus Brew is open until midnight, and Flip Kitchen is open until 10 p.m., providing a variety of good food options for students.

But depending on their meal plan, students have only one Argos swipe per day.

This prevents many students with limited dining dollars or insufficient funds from taking advantage of such a good option.

The Hub is the universal dining option for most USF students who live on campus at The Village.

You get a good number of swipes on any meal plan, and the facility hours are long — as it closes at 10 p.m. most days and at 9 p.m. on Saturday.

While there are good food options at The Hub, it often has extremely mediocre or bad food quality.

Lana Whitehurst, a freshman behavioral healthcare major, said she has had both positive and negative experiences with The Hub’s food.

“I think it’s kind of hit or miss,” Whitehurst said. “Sometimes, they have really dry chicken, or it’s raw, or it’s pink in the middle.”

The hit-or-miss quality of The Hub can put off many students from going, including myself.

And when all the other good dining options are closed when you’re at your hungriest or freest, it makes the diverse dining options on USF’s campus feel quite limited.

Horn said she is a bit more understanding of the closing times for the dining options.

“I get that workers need some time off, and a lot of people go back home or go to the club on the weekends,” Horn said.

But the fact that many students leave campus on weekends doesn’t mean the ones who stay should have limited options.

USF’s dining, while satisfactory, could benefit from longer hours for students.

All in all, the busyness of students, combined with the relatively short hours of most dining options, truly limits the variety of dining options this campus offers.

USF’s dining options close too early

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