Although the half-hour lunch extension Simmons Dining Hall has been testing has not been successful, Findlay Commons is planning on extending their dinner hours for next fall.

Simmons is now testing later hours of operation because there are no other places to eat beside the dining hall, said Lisa Wandel, Food Services associate director.

"It really depends on what's available," she said.

Wandel said Waring Square in West Halls used to be open until 2:30 p.m., but when West Wing was open, many students began eating there instead.

She also said that some of the eateries on campus, such as Warnock Dining Commons, do not need to extend their hours.

"Because Blue Spoon Deli is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., it doesn't make sense to open Warnock Dining Commons' a la board later than 2 p.m.," Wandel said.

Students can eat at Blue Spoon after the a la board dining area has closed.

The extension for Simmons' lunch hours will be in effect until April 16, at the latest, because of the poor result so far, said Karen Henderson, Simmons Dining commons manager.

"Not great numbers of people are coming in [between 2 and 2:30]," Henderson said.

Even people who have been working during the extended hours have noticed the result.

"It hasn't been effective. Only about four people came in between 2 and 2:30 p.m., and going into the second week, that's pretty much average," said Alexis Brolin, a Simmons Dining Hall employee.

One of the few students eating during the extra half-hour did not mind the extension.

"It means nothing to me; it doesn't affect my schedule, but I like it," Dave Rosen (freshman-kinesiology) said.

However, Henderson said it has only been a couple of days, and things might turn around.

"We thought we would give it a try ... We're going to wait and see," she said.

Findlay Commons managers are also looking into possibly extending Fresh Express' dinner hours for fall semester because students can actually get takeout from Fresh Express, said Chuck Wakefield, Findlay Dining Commons manager.

"The bad thing about dining halls is that you have to sit and eat there, but ordering is better because you can just take it," Wakefield said.

Unlike Simmons, Findlay's manager said there will be no testing phase for Findlay.

"Once you do something, if you change it, no one recognizes it. It's like an East Halls phenomenon," Wakefield said.

This is not the first time Findlay is extending its hours, Wakefield said. About six years ago, Findlay's dining hall extended its dinner hours until 8 p.m., but it did not work out as planned.

"We tried it for four months, but no one came," Wakefield said.

Findlay Commons managers decided it is time to try it again, Wakefield said.

"On a yearly basis, we check if we can extend our hours," Wakefield said

The Food Services management team makes the decision of extending or cutting back hours, Wandel said.

"We get together and discuss what can be done," she said.

One of the many things discussed is the cost. "We have costs that are associated with it," Wandel said, including labor and food because the food needs to be fresh, she said.

When there is a low volume of people using the dining commons, the quality of food deteriorates, and in the end, the customer is unsatisfied, Henderson said.

"Labor is a very big deciding factor ... Do we have people to work those times?" she said.