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July 29, 2010 at 4:59 AM

Food lures night owls

By Kathleen Loughran
Collegian Staff Writer
To some, it's the most dreaded shift imaginable. Known as the graveyard or late night shift, it requires the ability to stay up and be efficient during the early morning hours. But for people who work the shift serving food in a college town, it also requires the ability to deal with some intoxicated customers. Alex Moore, who works at Canyon Pizza, 260 E. Beaver Ave, said he had one particular experience that didn't end pleasantly. "The craziest experience I've seen was a guy punch holes in one of the delivery cars, so I chased him down an alley after I called the police... and he broke my jaw," said Moore, of State College. Tucker Lang, who works at Pita Pit, 218 E. Calder Way, said he has also seen some crazy things happen while working the late night shift. One time he witnessed "an all-out brawl" that started with two girls and ended with 10 people fighting. "One of the employees had to break it up -- he was an ex-Marine," said Lang, of State College. Though Luke Lenker, who works at College Pizza, 128 Locust Lane, said he has only ever seen random fights though he did hear about an extreme story that happened at College Pizza during the graveyard shift. "I've heard a story about a guy who fell off the railing and lost a couple of teeth, and people were just stepping over him to get in the store still," said Lenker, of State College. "There was a lot of blood." Moore, Lang and Lenker all said another aspect they don't like about the graveyard shift is the damage that people cause at night, such as leaving their trash, spilling their drinks or vomiting. But Kerry Cavanaugh, who works at The Diner, 126 W. College Ave, said working the late night shift does have some positive aspects. "We also get really drunk people who will give you $50 to cut them three people in line, so it's not all bad," Cavanaugh, Class of 2010, said. "Also, drunk alumni tend to tip well, so that's pretty cool." Lenker also said he makes more tips at night, and though he sometimes has to deal with the "belligerent drunk," he said it doesn't happen too often. "A lot of customers are friendly, fun to talk to and tip well," he said. But Lang said it's the people he works with at the Pita Pit that make the job enjoyable. "We're all friends outside of work, so that makes it fun," he said. "We get to choose our music. It's the little things that keep us happy." Both Moore and Cavanaugh said their coworkers make the experience of the graveyard shift more bearable. "I really like the people I work with over night," Cavanaugh said. "We manage to have fun."

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