At The University of Alabama’s social hub, The Strip, students revel in the lively nightlife .
When the night’s festivities end, a hunger for late-night sustenance is met with limited options.
As the handful of restaurants open past midnight dwindle, concerns from students arise.
“I get annoyed after a night out with how little options for food are available. I find myself and
others being more inclined to drive away from campus to find better options,” student Connor
Smith said.
Fellow student Ben Gesele expressed the unnecessary danger people are put in regarding this
situation. Smith and Gesele said they have experienced times when they and their friends have
been inebriated and decided to drive to a food spot off campus.
This is not an uncommon occurrence among young adults. The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention said ages 21-24 have the highest percent of drivers impaired by alcohol. Many
college students fall within that category.
Amidst this, The Standard, a pizza spot with an attached bar, offers sustenance and a safer
alternative. While debates persist on the practicality of extending operating hours for eateries,
The Standard’s success in catering to the late-night crowd underscores the potential for a more
secure and convenient environment for students.
The Standard is open until 2 a.m. As one of the only options for food open past midnight, it is
popular among students with most of their sales occurring between 10 p.m. through 2 a.m.,
according to general manager Brooke Limberry.
She said the business saw a profit opportunity when deciding the hours.
“We do sell a lot of slices at the end of the night so I would say we try to provide a safer
environment for students to be able to be responsible by leaving students in better condition,”
Limberry said.
According to The University of Alabama’s website, more than 10,000 students reside in
on-campus or Greek housing. Gesesle said he believes the ability to simply walk home provides
a safer alternative for students who have been drinking.
“I imagine if more places [to eat] were open and easily available more students would choose to
walk rather than drive out of convenience. You can’t trust drunk college kids to make good
decisions so if restaurants stayed open later it would be safer,” Gesele said.
There is a question of how realistic providing later hours is. There are variables like finding
workers, profit and overall if it would benefit a business. Manager Madeline Epstein Nelson at
Glory Bound, a restaurant with a bar open until 10 p.m., spoke on a business perspective.
“We specifically choose to not be open later because of our staff is often younger wanting
daytime hours. That is one reason we do not stay open, because we would not be well enough
staffed to handle all the students under the influence,” Nelson said.
This was the general consensus among more places in the area like Chipotle, Mediterranean
Sandwich Co, and Firehouse Subs. All of these close between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m.
In contrast, The Standard’s general manager, Limberry, finds overwhelming applications, mostly
from college students. Because it has the ability to be well-staffed, the business reaps the benefits
in profit. She said they have very few issues caused by intoxicated students, making it all worth
it.
Jenna Pauly, an employee at The Standard, said student safety is a priority at the establishment.
“I notice people often leave in a better state than when they came in. If they are coming from a
different bar they usually leave more sober and not stumbling. If they are coming from our bar in
the back they almost always stop for a slice. I think the convenience and location of our store
encourages people to sober up enough to walk home safely,” Pauly said.
