The Habit is easily a popular spot for students at California Lutheran University, especially for residents; however, access to the on-campus restaurant is somewhat limited to students as it is only open Monday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. and closed on weekends. The Habit should be open Monday through Sunday, allowing students to have more food options rather than having to commute to other food establishments.

According to an article on FoodService Director, many colleges are trying to adjust food service hours while also dealing with budget restrictions concerning the food industry on campus. This, however, is frequently met with student dissatisfaction.

Junior Devon Goosby said that he enjoyed when The Habit Burger Grill was open on the weekends during his freshman year in 2022.

“I’d say it really affects at least probably one of my meals in the day because I remember when Habit was open on the weekends, I usually would go to Habit with my roommates just because, like, Ullman is good but it’s sometimes not always the best option,” Goosby said. 

As a student-athlete or a college student in general, it gets very hectic, with students’ schedules getting crammed up rather quickly. This is where The Habit came in quite perfectly, allowing students to grab a “quick bite” on their way to class. With its closure, students may not have the time to sit and eat at Ullman Dining Commons. In turn, this may cause the student to bypass a meal altogether, robbing them of the proper nutrients required as a college student.

Junior Anthony Gallego said the weekend closures have caused him to commute off campus for food, making it expensive for him as he now has to spend more money traveling by vehicle to other food chains.

“I usually have to turn to probably, like, a 15-minute drive to Chipotle, a 10-minute drive to Panda Express or McDonald’s or anything that I can afford because as a college student, you can only get a variety of things. Especially since a lot of things out here in Thousand Oaks or the area in general is very expensive, so I only have so much money as a college student. So I feel like it’s very tough,” Gallego said. 

Having The Habit open on the weekends would not only satisfy students’ hunger but would also enhance student engagement on campus. With a significant amount of students living on campus, having The Habit open would be beneficial and give them a place to get together. 

“I think the school can at least just have more, like, maybe food-related events on campus on the weekends just because I think it would bring more people out, good for the community, and also I just think it would be good for the campus to have more food options,” Goosby said.

Goosby also said he would sometimes run out of food at his dorm, but wouldn’t have time to go to the grocery store due to his time-consuming  course schedule. 

“I feel like, with, when Habit was open on the weekends, it was just another option that made it a lot easier because Ullman can honestly be hit or miss, and sometimes, like, I run out of food in my pantry and need to go grocery shopping but I don’t have time for that, ” Goosby said. 

The best option would be a campus survey in order to determine how many other students feel just as strongly as I do with regard to having The Habit open on weekends. Getting in contact with campus administration would also greatly assist in creating a dialogue. The popular restaurant chain would resume its weekend operation of providing another food source to the student and staff population of Cal Lutheran. 

“They can make a difference by simply going out of their way and getting a survey, seeing what people like and what people don’t like, seeing what the numbers are and really getting a feel for what the campus has to say in all so it would be really beneficial to get that data and get that information so that way, they can make adjustments and go from there,” Gallego said. 

Overall, I feel that reopening The Habit Burger Grill on weekends would greatly benefit Cal Lutheran students by offering a convenient choice of a popular food chain without having to travel off campus.