While price points vary depending on a school’s concept, items like burgers and subs generally run less than $5. At Crossroads, for instance, the average check is $5.46. The Cary Knight Spot Grill sells pizza for $3.97, subs for $4.25, and burgers for $4.25. The ice cream and coffee shops have an average check of $2.50.

Binghamton for a time offered paninis at a slightly higher price point than most sandwiches. “They went well for a short period and then fizzled,” Griffin says.

Timing is Everything

Admittedly a late-night eatery on campus is subject to ebbs and flows. After a big game, the Cary Knight Spot Grill, situated next to the basketball arena, will see a surge of customers. Students will also congregate after an evening exam.

In some schools, the seasons play a part. Restaurants in Binghamton’s foodcourt, including Taco Bell and Freshens, stay open until 11 p.m. in warmer weather. “Otherwise it doesn’t make sense,” Griffin says. Like most quick-serve customers, students keep in the dorms late at night during inclement weather.

On any given night at most schools, the heaviest customer traffic often occurs about 30 minutes before closing, which has prompted Binghamton to consider extending its hours until 3 a.m. Surveys indicate that about half the students are hungry just before the current closing time, Griffin says. Others breeze in because they realize that if they want something, they only have a few minutes to spare.

Holy Cross’s Crossroads, which opens at 8 p.m., also experiences a rush near closing at midnight. The rest of the time, it’s a steady stream. “I’d love to say we’re really, really busy late night, but we’re not that busy,” Nardella says. “We’re busy enough to stay open because we’ve done a cost analysis.”

At the University of California–San Diego’s Price Center, however, an initial attempt at late-night hours was thwarted by a mixed response. Why try again? “We’re doing a whole new approach,” Terzino says. “The building will be open 24 hours a day.”

Attracting an Audience

When the Price Center is complete, it will become part of a new “downtown on campus,” Terzino says. One of the student center’s venues, The Loft, focuses on providing a social setting for entertainment. The restaurant will serve beer and wine.

The Cary Knight Spot Grill hosts a java jam with live music. The Harrison Grille holds an open mic night. Both have banks of flat-screen televisions on the walls. “If they stay more, they buy more,” Johnson says.

Most dining directors agree that it takes a while to develop a following. How do you market late-night dining? “Word of mouth. Word of mouth. Word of mouth,” Griffin says.

He’s found that ads in the campus newspaper and fliers are an unnecessary expense. Instead, he relies on campus ambassadors, who greet new and prospective students, and resident dining directors. The college Web site and even Facebook are good places to broadcast offerings.

After-Hour Partnerships

Most operators know that brand names attract attention. So when Ohio Wesleyan wanted to add a coffeehouse to its library, there was only one brand to turn to—Starbucks. Starbucks not only offers instant recognition to students outside the area, but it also appeals to the school’s large international population.

Schools are also building name recognition and establishing goodwill by partnering with off-campus quick-serve restaurants. Holy Cross, for instance, has a partnership with Domino’s Pizza, which delivers to the campus until 4 a.m. on weekends. Students can order pizza for delivery and use their college card to pay for it, and Holy Cross gets a percentage of the sale.

Schools might also create partnerships with off-campus quick-serves willing to take students’ college cards. Foodcourt quick-serves on campus typically pay a price per square foot, and the school gets a percentage of the sale. In most cases, students can use their college cards at the quick-serve, but the purchased items are not part of the overall dining package.

These days schools are keeping late-night hours in mind when considering offering new quick-serve restaurants. The lack of viable concepts was one reason late-night hours didn’t fare well the first time at the Price Center, Terzino says.

Schools are getting picky and brands must have a flexible menu. “You have to be willing to make adjustments,” Griffin says. “Sometimes that is hard with a brand concept. Some things are going to go. Some things aren’t. I don’t want to forget the late-night crowd.”