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Many schools now offering a 'fourth meal'

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

More colleges and universities are either offering, or considering, a “fourth meal” option to serve those students who may either have been unable to eat at regular hours during the day or who simply get the hungry while studying late into the night or early morning.

According to QSR Magazine, some schools offer late-night venues that are part of residence dining. Others are seeking off-campus support from nearby restaurants to meet the demand.


Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio, has 11 dining options for 1,800 students, including a “library café” which is open until midnight. “Turns out the library—believe it or not—is a place where they hang out,” says a spokesperson for the school’s food service provider. “It’s been very popular with the kids.”

Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana, has a late night eatery in one of its residence halls. That proved so popular it has since opened another late night dining option in another residence hall.

At Temple University in Philadelphia, a fourth-meal option is even part of its dining hall package. The service is offered Sunday through Friday, from 8 p.m. to midnight, at all three of its dining halls. Another school has what it calls “Nite Owl Cafes,” where students can automatically deduct transaction amounts from their campus cards.

Read more at QSR Magazine here[end] 

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