It was 1 a.m. on Thursday night, and Jessie Sims was feeling a little bit hungry.
So Sims, a third-year World Arts and Cultures student, gathered some friends, and after a long night of partying, he strolled into Westwood for some after-hours eats.
UCLA students frequent a number of restaurants in Westwood after nights out at parties and bars, creating a reputation for those places as popular “drunk spots.”
And consequently, restaurant employees generate big business out of their sometimes drunk and rowdy student customers.
“Right around 2 a.m., when the bars and the fraternity parties are settling down, a lot of people like to go to the “˜drunk spots’ in Westwood,” said Jude Ambrosio, a first-year undeclared student. “And I usually go to those places toward closing, because it’s usually more entertaining.”
Passersby on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday night can expect to see a sea of people crowding around and pushing their way in line at restaurants like Denny’s, Enzo’s Pizzeria, In-N-Out, Roll-Inn and Tommy’s Tacos.
Ambrosio and Sims both said those eateries are among the most popular late-night Westwood eateries.
“It’s a popular late-night pastime of students to stroll down Gayley because of the convenient location and after-hours appeal of the “˜drunk spots,'” Sims said.
Roll-Inn, nicknamed “Buck-Fifty” after the former price of their 6-inch sandwich, is located at 972 Gayley Ave.
Roll-Inn is also right next to Tommy’s Tacos, a burrito and burger place housed in an adjacent shack-like building.
Within walking distance is In-N-Out, also on Gayley. Enzo’s Pizzeria, at 10940 Weyburn Ave., and Denny’s, at 1060 Tiverton Ave., are only a leisurely walk away.
All five restaurants sell cheap food and stay open late.
And each of the “drunk spots” are located within walking distance of the most inhabited locations at UCLA, including the North Village, the Hill, campus and the residencies on Hilgard Avenue, adding to their late-night appeal.
Ambrosio said it is also entertaining to see the crowds of people enjoying themselves, intoxicated and having a good time.
The customers ““ many of whom are students ““ can enjoy themselves and in turn, the restaurants generate a lot of business, said Josue Ramos, a manager of Enzo’s.
And the most common customers are those who have been out late at bars, Ramos said.
“O’Hara’s people can get their grub on late after the bar,” Ramos said. “Everyone is in a happy mood and looking good.”
And Ambrosio said along with the food, entertainment is the highlight of visiting popular hangouts in Westwood after a night of party-hopping.
“That’s why it’s a good drunk spot ““ you can expect to witness a lot of rowdy drunk people,” he said. “Plus, (the restaurants) are open late, and they serve greasy food, which is exactly what people like to eat when they’re drunk.”
The students who visit the “drunk spots” are hungry people, people who have been out all night with friends and people who are looking for the final chapter to their evening, Sims said.
So naturally, they want to eat ““ and they do not want to wait to be served.
The customers can be rowdy at times, perhaps because of the alcohol, Ramos said.
Michelle Akeley, a second-year theater student, has experienced the pushy student customers.
“One time I went to Buck-Fifty’s, and people were pushing all around me,” Akeley said. “They really wanted to order their food, and they didn’t want to wait.”
Ambrosio said he also had witnessed some unruliness at the Westwood “drunk spots.”
“I saw a fight at In-N-Out once between one guy who seemed to be blacked out and some other guy who wasn’t that drunk at all,” Ambrosio said. “And I’ve heard a lot about people (getting sick) at In-N-Out a couple times.”
But even if the customers are disorderly at times, store owners still relish the large crowds.
“Even if people are loud and unruly, they’re still spending their money,” Ambrosio said. “The restaurants are getting a lot of business, because they stay open and are open until after the bars close.
The volume of customers is, indeed, greater those nights, Ramos said.
“Those are the nights we stay open until 3 a.m.,” he said. “Even I like to start partying early in the week too sometimes, so I understand that people want to eat after they go out.”
And as long as the management of the “drunk spots” in Westwood will allow them, the student customers will keep on coming, Sims said.
Students can’t resist visiting the open-late restaurants, he said.
“Heading to a “˜drunk spot’ in Westwood at the end of the night is like one of those things about college that adds to your memories,” he said.
“It means that even when the party dies down, the night doesn’t have to be over.”