Louie's Lower Level feels fallout from new hours

Kristy Mangos Arizona Daily Wildcat Syed Munib, an employee at Louie's Lower Level, takes a food order from Jason Holstad, computer engineering freshman, at 11:30 p.m. Wednesday. Louie's will close at 3 p.m. beginning Monday. The Fiddlee Fig and Cafe Sonora will also change their closing times.

The most severely affected Union restaurant, Louie's Lower Level, will now close at 3 p.m. on weekdays, nine hours before its traditional midnight closing.

Jerry Groch, cash operations manager for University of Arizona Student Unions, said Louie's was targeted because it requires a large number of staff to operate. He said most of the employees who work at Louie's will be transferred to other dining units, but an undetermined amount of positions will be temporarily eliminated by the change.

Michelle Fickas, a history junior and student employee at Louie's, said she will find out today where she is being transferred. She said she talked to three people who already know they lost their jobs because not enough positions are available at the oth er units.

"I'm a student and have class all day, so I have to work nights," Fickas said, "I hope to get transferred to Fr‰shens (at the Union Square Cafe) so I can continue to work evenings."

On weeknights, the Fiddlee Fig and Cafe Sonora will stay open until 7 p.m., while Taco Bell Express and Domino's Pizza will serve until 10 p.m. This leaves the Union Square Cafe and Fr‰shens Smo”thies outlet as the only restaurant open until midnight. Gro ch said the cafe will begin to offer hot food items such as chili and meatball subs.

The Fiddlee Fig, Fr‰shens and Domino's Pizza will be the only places open on weekends, Groch said.

"Each year at this time we adjust our schedules to reflect enrollment numbers and customer preferences," Groch said. "In order to control operational costs, we felt these changes were necessary,"

Groch said all units in the Student Union are competing against each other, so it was important to make adjustments to ensure the success of every restaurant.

Although food will be available in other places in the Student Union, students who have made Louie's a regular hangout are not happy with the changes.

"Our fraternity doesn't have a house, so there is always about 10 of us hanging out here," said Luis Noriega, a mechanical engineering sophomore and member of Omega Delta Phi.

Joe Romo, accounting and finance sophomore and another Omega Delta Phi member, said he believes he has a better solution to the operation costs felt by the Student Union.

"I think they should close all the other restaurants and keep Louie's open," Romo said. "This is one of the only places on campus to get food late at night. I think if they close Louie's, the Union will lose business to fast food places."

Groch said Dining Services always tries to accommodate customers' preferences and said Louie's will remain open as long as there is an adequate demand.

Groch said hamburgers will be available at Fiddlee Fig during the evening hours. In addition, he said the Park Student Union will now open at 8 a.m. to offer quick breakfast items for students in a hurry.

Louie's student lead Sheila Widmaier, a student at Pima Community College, said nearly half of Louie's $4,000 daily revenue is generated between 3 p.m. and midnight.

Widmaier said that game days, events in the Cellar and movies at Gallagher Theatre often produce late rushes of business for the restaurant.

Students dining at Louie's during the dinner rush yesterday were unhappy to hear of Louie's new hours.

"I eat here at least twice a week and have been coming here with my dad before football games since I was 10. They've got the best fried food," said Brenna Tietig, business freshman.

For many students, having other dining options will not substitute for the atmosphere Louie's provides.

"Band members have been coming here for at least 10 years," said Robert Kimmel, management information systems junior.

"We come here after our meetings," Kimmel said.

"It's a nice place to eat and hang out."