The University and the Lewisburg community are so interconnected, it’s no surprise that downtown businesses have been leaving a larger footprint on campus as of late. The recent popularity of Pizza Phi, the New York-style pizzeria on Market Street, is no exception. Pizza Phi’s decision to extend its business hours to more “student-friendly” ones was a very smart business decision. As students, we are up very late. It comes as second nature to us to order from places like Domino’s, which we previously thought was the only late-night option for food. It’s great to know that there are local businesses that we can support while also feeding our late-night food cravings.
Local businesses should follow in the footsteps of local restaurants like Market Street Deli, Hot Diggity Dog and Pizza Phi in extending their operating hours. Many of the stores downtown close very early and sometimes students don’t find the time, due to classes and other extra curricular activities, to actually shop around downtown until 6 p.m. or 7 p.m. The Sweet Shoppe, for example, closes at 8 p.m. on weekdays, not leaving much time for students to grab some ice cream after dinner.
In addition, it was a smart move on Pizza Phi’s part to offer free delivery. Despite Pizza Phi’s late-night hours, if they didn’t deliver, we are positive a majority of students wouldn’t take advantage of them in the first place. Market Street Deli is also considering a delivery option to cater to students unable to make the trek downtown. If local restaurants offered the same delivery option that Pizza Phi, and hopefully Market Street Deli, does, more students would become involved in local businesses.
To us it seems unreasonable to be telling local businesses to extend their hours or offer more options to the campus community when we are sure that the ideas have been discussed in detail. However, maybe if we express our frustrations or suggestions, local businesses might give the idea a little extra thought.
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