If all goes as planned, University students will soon be able to cap their late-night forays to the Street with the ultimate midnight snack — a burrito.
USG Vice President Jesse Creed '07 and U-Councilor John Brunger '05 are currently working on a proposal to convert the Carl Fields Center into a burrito stand Thursday and Saturday nights from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Though the University has already approved the plan, Creed and Brunger still need to clear a few bureaucratic hurdles before the project is finalized. While Creed said he thought the stand could open as early as this weekend, Thomas Dunne, Associate Director of Undergraduate Students, was not so sure.
"They are not at a point where they can say it is definitely going to happen," Dunne said.
He pointed out that although Creed and Brunger have talked with the director of the Field Center and scheduled meetings with representatives from Dining Services, they have not yet met with Food Safety officials.
Dunne also said it was not clear if burrito-selling was an appropriate function for the Fields Center.
"This is a pilot project. The goal is to see how hard it is to run something like this. For instance, a question is: Does it dovetail with other programmatic interests of the Field Center?"
Creed downplayed Dunne's concerns, saying that there is a high level of excitement about the project among the student body and the administration.
"At this stage we have full approval from Dean Dunne, and he is very excited about this. Makeba Clay [the director of the Fields Center] is also excited. I think that this is an excellent opportunity," Creed said.
Both Creed and Brunger expect the stand to do a brisk business, saying that many students crave a late-night food alternative to the Frist Campus Center.
Dunne was willing to concede one point. "A good burrito is a staple of the college experience," he said.
Creed and Brunger are already looking into the feasibility of purchasing a burrito press. They plan to have students cook the burritos on location and serve them from the Fields Center kitchen.
Brunger was inspired by the success of Duke University's Cosmic Cantina, a Mexican restaurant, on a recent visit to North Carolina.
Creed said the burrito stand was meant to supplement the eating clubs — not divert traffic away from them.
"Let's say some member of Cottage doesn't want to make it a full night on the Street. He can go to the burrito stand and pick up a burrito," Creed said.
When asked whether the burrito stand was intended to serve as a social alternative to the eating clubs, Brunger said the proposed stand would be an "alternative student-run space where people can meet and hang out late at night."
The two have not yet thought of a name for the new stand, though Creed has a few ideas.
"We will probably call it 'Brunger's Burritos,' or maybe something with my name as well," Creed said.
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