Late-night snackers might have to look off campus for their fix
starting fall quarter 2006.
UCLA Dining Services has decided to close Puzzles after this
quarter as part of a larger plan to reorganize eateries on the
Hill.
Located on the Hill across from Covel Commons, Puzzles was
opened after the completion of Sunset Village in 1991, and has been
a staple for students looking for greasy late-night snacks or an
alternative to the dining halls.
Its closure is part of a larger plan for on-campus Housing and
Dining Services, said Connie Foster, associate director of Dining
Services.
With the opening of Rieber Vista and Hedrick Summit, Foster said
Housing and Dining Services have been working together to
accommodate an increase in students on the Hill.
She said they have coordinated the opening of these new
residences and Rendezvous, a new grab-and-go restaurant in Rieber
Terrace, to coincide with the closure of Sproul Hall next year, so
that Puzzles will be closed when the fewest number of students live
nearby.
With last year’s opening of Bruin Cafe, which serves a
menu of sandwiches and soups, and the upcoming opening of
Rendezvous, which will serve a mix of Latin American and Asian
food, Puzzles is no longer the primary alternative to dining halls
for many students.
Ali Mashhoon, a first-year mechanical engineering student, said
he prefers Bruin Cafe, but added that Puzzles has served as an easy
alternative to walking to Westwood for late-night food.
“It’s open when you need food,” Mashhoon
said.
Katrina Fischer, a second-year microbiology, immunology and
molecular genetics student, said she also prefers Bruin Cafe.
“(Puzzles is) for preventing hangovers and (serves) the
late-night snackers,” she joked.
Foster said Puzzles’ closure is intended to give Dining
Services a chance to evaluate the restaurant and renovate its
location. Though she said it is possible that Puzzles will reopen
after renovation, that will not be determined until after the
evaluation.
She said the closure will coincide with an extension of the
hours for Rendezvous, which will initially be open this quarter
from 2 to 8 p.m.
Once Puzzles closes, Rendezvous will be open mornings and nights
““ though Foster said the specific hours haven’t been
decided ““ and along with Bruin Cafe, will provide the same
breakfast foods that Puzzles currently serves.
But Foster said Rendezvous will not be open past midnight, which
concerns the student-run On Campus Housing Council.
Chair Danielle Malvini said there will no longer be a restaurant
on the Hill open during the week from midnight to 2 a.m., a
troubling fact for some students.
“It’s sad,” said first-year political science
student Mike de Carlo, adding that Puzzles is a late-night haven
for those returning from parties or outings. “Where else are
you going to go at 1:30 (a.m. for food)?”
Currently, Bruin Cafe is open until 2 a.m. on Sunday and Friday,
while Puzzles is open until 2 a.m. on all other days. Foster said
there were no immediate plans to extend Bruin Cafe’s
hours.
Dining Services has discussed the situation with students and
OCHC, and dining officials hope to work with students to evaluate
and reshape UCLA’s on-campus dining situation to provide the
convenience and food options Puzzles once satisfied.
Malvini said Dining Services contacted OCHC recently to discuss
possible problems as a result of Puzzles’ closure, and OCHC
wants to make sure residents will have all the same food options,
even after Puzzles is closed.
Dining Services is working to make sure students still have
access to items such as chili-cheese fries, hot dogs and
hamburgers, Foster said.
This may be done by changing the role of Crossroads, a Mexican
food eatery located in the Tom Bradley International Student
Center, which Foster said is also being evaluated and may become
more similar to Puzzles so as to best fit the needs of
students.
Even with these measures to maintain food options in the wake of
Puzzles’ closure, many students said they still wish Puzzles
would stay open.
“I’ll miss the curly fries,” first-year
psychobiology student Washington Park said about the closing of
Puzzles, while eating at the restaurant last Wednesday night.
Second-year economics student Brandon Cho said removing Puzzles
might ruin the nature of late-night eating on the Hill.
“Late nights (are when) you want that fatty snack,”
Cho said.
With reports from Derek Lipkin, Bruin senior staff.