The University has no late night spaces for students

Although USC boasts luxuries like Dulce, Cava and a Trader Joe’s within its parameters, it can be difficult to take full advantage of these outlets because of their restrictive hours. Both Target and Trader Joe’s close at 10 p.m., with nearly everything else in the USC Village closing sooner. The only restaurants that remain open past that time are Rock & Reilly’s, a restaurant-bar that may not exactly pertain well to younger students, Insomnia Cookies (which has no indoor dining) and Chinese Street Food, which, although open later than most, still closes at 1 a.m. 

The closest dining experiences that stay open extra late (or 24 hours) are the establishments that line Figueroa on the east side of campus. For those living in housing on the other side of USC, this entails a 15 to 20 minute walk or a Fryft (as long as it’s before 2 a.m.), and the best students are going to get is McDonald’s, Carl’s Jr. or Starbucks. 

There seems to be a disconnect between necessity and flamboyance. Even though it is undeniable that having a lululemon or Face Haus on campus can feel extremely luxurious, it begs the question: “Do we really need this?” For a college campus, there are much more practical industries — such as late-night food service — that could flourish if properly placed. 

According to a study conducted by TIME Magazine on sleep patterns and studying in college students, the average college student goes to bed at 2 a.m. This study didn’t go as far as to detail sleeping habits during midterms and finals, a time when sleep is sometimes the last thought on students’ minds. 

MBB Management, a franchise consulting firm, explains that “Hungry college students who are looking for quick and affordable meals make ideal customers for quick-serve food franchises,” and this shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that the most popular age range for fast food consumption is 20-39 years old, with 44.9% of consumption falling in that age group on any given day. 

So, why are there no late-night eateries nearby? The answer may be a number of reasons.

The first possibility could be that USC does not want its students dining excessively at off-campus entities. If most restaurants close by 8 or 9 p.m. and the dining halls close at 10 p.m., students are left with using up their meal swipes to satiate their late night munchies — which might lead students to buy more expensive meal plans that allot them more opportunities to eat late.

Similarly, there may be an image problem and the careful selection of stores in order to attract a certain audience. We all know if there’s one thing the University cares about, it’s the school’s pristine image. But by limiting nightlife on campus, it pushes students to default to other less accessible alternatives. Walking to McDonald’s or El Huero at 1 a.m. isn’t the greatest option, but it’s all students can really do when they’re starving after a late night study sesh (not to say that those carne asada fries don’t hit the spot).

Improving college nightlife does not mean putting a night club in the Village. It just means giving students more areas to actually do their work outside of their cramped dorms. We might have Leavey Library but it’s not the most positively motivating area to work.  

Regardless, it can’t be denied that the school has continually ignored the apparent needs of its students, whether in terms of easy access to food via viable meal plans or having access to restaurants past 10 p.m. 

Looks like GrubHub and Leavey may be the only solution for USC night owls to survive.