Proposed diner moves to Stein
The Stein will open at 10 p.m. from Wednesdays to Sundays as Ollie's Eatery, starting this Wednesday, Student Union Executive Senator Jenna Brofsky '10 said.Originally, the diner was to be located in the empty space in the Village. Plans for the Village late-night diner were not approved by the city of Waltham's fire department due to the ventilation system in the space, Brofsky said. It is not clear what exactly was wrong with the ventilation system. The Waltham Fire Department was not available for comment.
"It's a big 'if' in this point in time," Vice President for Campus Operations Mark Collins said of having a diner in the Village, though he didn't rule out the possibility of that ever materializing. "We're waiting for revised plans," he said.
Construction will most likely be necessary to make the space in the Village safe enough to have a diner, Collins said, but it is not certain yet what this construction will entail. Building the diner will be a summer project because more construction would be too disruptive for Village residents, Collins said.
Initially, renovation costs for the diner's space were estimated at $500,000, which would come from the University's capital budget, Collins said. He couldn't say how much the new renovations would add to the costs, because it is not clear yet what needs to happen.
The Stein will close at 9 p.m. from Wednesdays until Sundays, to reopen at 10 p.m. as the eatery, Student Union Director of Research and Development Sridatta Mukherjee '09 said. From 9 to 10 p.m. there will be a transition hour to change The Stein into Ollie's Eatery, Brofsky said. The diner closes at 3 a.m.
The staff for Ollie's Eatery will wear different uniforms, and there will be a different menu. The setting of The Stein will stay the same, Brofsky said. and the diner will have a grand opening on Jan. 30, at which Ollie the Owl will be present.
Last semester, students proposed names for the diner. The Student Union received about 300 suggestions, of which 100 were posed online, Brofsky said. Some names that weren't chosen were: "Louis' Late Plate," "The Courthouse" and "the Hungry Jury." Some of the names that weren't used for the diner may be used for items on the menu. Janice Hussain '08 and Beth Bowman '10 submitted the winning entry.
The menu will feature traditional diner food such as hamburgers, omelets, pancakes and milkshakes.
The late-night dining option will help people stay on campus and give them something to do late at night, Brofsky said. Because The Stein has a liquor license, alcohol can be served until midnight, giving those of age the option to have a beer with their burger.
Maria Rivera, currently the manager of Einstein Bros Bagels, who has been working at the University for four years, will be the diner's manager. The opening hours of Einstein Bagels, where students can now order lox on their bagels, will remain unchanged.
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