NEW ORLEANS (Oct. 20, 2017) – The Saturday trial run for Grill 155 will end this weekend, followed by a decision from Sodexo on whether the weekend openings will continue.

This Saturday, the grill will begin offering buffalo chicken tenders and Philly cheesesteak fries, said Yolanda Holland, general manager.

After requests from students, the Sodexo dining hall staff began the trial run Sept. 16 of opening Grill 155 from 7-10 p.m. on Saturdays, running through this Saturday, Oct. 22, according to Holland.

The goal is to see whether the weekend opening has enough business to make it financially sustainable and to determine the best hours of operation. Holland said Sodexho has tried having the grill open on Saturdays in the past, but it didn’t work.

So far, each Saturday has shown a consistent decrease in business. Holland said Grill 155 had 144 customers on Sept. 16; 104 on Sept. 23; 62 on Sept. 30; and 35 on Oct. 14. (It was closed Oct. 7 because of predicted inclement weather from Hurricane Harvey.)

Sodexo staffer Lashondra Pierre said the “rush hour” is usually from 8:30-9:30 p.m.

Holland said she wants results based on all items being available, so the menu is the same as it would be any other night.

Leah Erby, a sophomore English major from Chicago, visited Grill 155 on a recent Saturday night and called Saturday night openings a “good option when you don’t want to go off-campus on the weekends.”