Hedrick residential restaurant closed down its lunch hours Nov. 21 after failing to attract enough students to stay in operation, even with the help of a trolley service to bus students to the top of the Hill.
The number of students using the Hedrick dinning facility for lunch was too low to justify the cost, said Daryl Ansel, director of food and beverage for UCLA Housing and Hospitality Services.
The antique-style trolley has also been discontinued, he said. The trolley had begun a 30-day trial in late October, intended to transport students from De Neve turnaround to Hedrick. Ansel said he did not know what purpose the trolley will now serve.
Ansel estimated that only 500 students used the dining hall for lunch each day. This marked a significantly lower number of students in comparison to other residential restaurants.
That number dropped even lower after the opening of the Hill’s new Asian-themed restaurant, Feast at Rieber, earlier this month, said Joanne McGill, assistant director of business services for UCLA Dining Services.
Officials decided to close the dining hall during lunch periods during budget planning a year ago, anticipating lower demand after the opening of Feast at Rieber, Ansel said.
At least three residential eateries are required to operate during each lunch period, McGill said. With the opening of Feast, along with the De Neve and Covel dining halls, it was decided that Hedrick was no longer necessary, she said.
Though the trolley was put in place in an effort to salvage the lunch service, it was ultimately unsuccessful.
Ansel said a substantial amount of money will be saved by cutting the Hedrick lunch program, but he gave no specific figures.
Some Hedrick residents were unhappy about the closure of the lunch hours.
“I’m really upset about Hedrick closing,” said My Diep, an undeclared first-year student. “We deserve more options for lunch and the line at Feast is really unappealing.”
The line to get into Feast, however, only takes 10 to 15 minutes, Ansel said. As the novelty wears off, the lines are likely to decrease in size, he said.
The line for Café 1919, for example, was longer than Feast at Rieber’s when it first opened, he said.
The decision to discontinue the trolley came as it appeared to have little effect on the dining hall’s popularity. About 400 to 500 riders used the trolley each day, but the Hedrick dining hall saw no spike in student attendance, Ansel said.
The trolley appeared to be heavily used by students, but not necessarily to eat lunch at the dining hall, he said.
“I don’t mind Hedrick closing for lunch, but I want the trolley back,” said Garuem Sin, first-year molecular, cell and developmental biology student. “It made my day. Also, it was convenient when I wanted to meet friends in De Neve for dinner.”
Brunch will be offered at Hedrick dining hall during finals weekend to accommodate student needs, Ansel said.