The Reef extends hours
This fall, the Refectory lengthened dinner hours by 30 minutes following demand from students.
The Refectory has expanded their dinner hours this year due to an initiative from the St. John’s Senate (SJS). Refectory dinner hours are now from 4:30 p.m. to 7:15 p.m., an increase of 45 minutes from previous hours.
“The goal here is simple—fitting the needs of the student body. I’ve said it before: Athletes, artists and students juggling jobs have barely any chance to fully use their meal plans, especially those on the continuous plan,” SJS President Ben Bugbee said via email. “Let’s be real—those involved in sports or arts often finish practices around 7:00 p.m., and by then it’s tough to make it to the Reef, leaving them to ration Sexton punches.”
Bugbee also mentioned that expanding dinner hours makes it easier to host guests on campus and allow students to attend events while still fitting in time for dinner. Events tend to start and end on the hour, so adjusting the starting time from 5 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and ending time from 7 p.m. to 7:15 p.m. can allow students, faculty, staff, guests and community members to grab dinner before an event or make it to the Refectory after an event ends. It also removes the issue of a closed dining hall and a limited number of punches for the semester at Sexton.
In the case of guests and community members, the Refectory is a much more formal dining option than Sexton, and expanded hours allows them to utilize the space around events as opposed to having to visit St. Joseph for their less casual dining.
This change would not have been possible without the work of the SJU Culinary team. They worked with the SJS to plan and implement these changes, including ensuring that the Refectory is staffed in its expanded hours.
“They’re extraordinary—always bringing their best for the student body,” Bugbee said.
The SJS was the other major player in this move.
“I’m always glad to see the Senate being a body of action, serving the student body and driving meaningful change to make student life better,” Bugbee said.
Moving forward, the SJS hopes people take advantage of these expanded hours. If they are not utilized, hours may be reverted, removing the extra 45 minutes for dinner.
The SJS is also looking to further extend Refectory dinner hours if necessary, and this will only be possible if students show a need and desire to utilize dining facilities before 4:30 p.m. or after 7:15 p.m.