Lamenting Burger King

Last bastion of quick, cheap food closes to UH students

On the list of all the bad times to close a fast food restaurant, I would have to say the week before a final exam ranks pretty high.

And yet, on the Friday before finals our Burger King (the one at the corner of Metcalf and University Avenue) closed its doors for business, leaving us with noting but off-campus coffee shops to study in and on-campus cafeterias to eat at for the rest of the summer.

I say this because Burger King offered us the cheapest fast food around, with Whopper Combos going for only three dollars (plus 49 cents to Go Large). Not only that, but they ere open every day until ten o'clock, which provided us with a great place to hang out.

Unfortunately, from now until the Pizza Hut opens in the fall, we have nothing but the on-campus establishments, the ones characterized by high prices, mediocre food, and inconvenient operating hours.

What is of particular distress to me is the fact that I have no quick and easy access to the Fiesta Whopper Combo I've grown to love. That seasoning they use on the fries is awesome.

Not only an excellent source of cheap food, Burger King offered the best balance between good food and grease. By comparison, the Sourdough Jack practically oozes grease.

Granted, there were no public bathrooms, the interior was falling apart, and you couldn't fit more than half a dozen cars in the parking stalls, but by leaving, Burger King has left a void that the on-campus places simply cannot replace.

The dorm cafeterias offer a wide variety of good food, and there's no limit to how much you can eat, but it is neither economical nor convenient for off-campus residents.

The Kahea`ai Café is good because of its central location, but closes at 1:30, making it a pain to meet people at. On the other hand, Paradise Palms' spacious seating area makes it a great place to meet friends or study for language exams, but it also lack proximity to the most important buildings.

Burger King's biggest drawback was that, because it was a non-Marriott enterprise, it didn't accept points for payment. But that was offset by the infinite free refills on soda -- it was the perfect place to hang out.

Taco Bell, by comparison, must be having a hard time -- they have to charge 50 cents or more for a refill.

This, by the way, boggles my mind. The off-campus Taco Bells offer a wider variety of food, parking lots, equal prices, and free refills, yet are still able to hold their own against other fast food restaurants.

Marriott's on-campus Taco Bell, however, doesn't even offer the Gorditas.

This would, by itself, not be enough to set me off. The thing that infuriates me is the fact that their monopoly status gives them the exclusive right to have no competitors on-campus.

I would like to see a Theodavies-owned Taco Bell open up Taco Bell open up in the space Burger King vacated, if only to find out whether the on-campus Taco Bell was offering students a service or if it has been exploiting us all along.

At least with the 99 cent Whoppers, you knew Burger King was taking a hit. I cant say the same about the $2.69 Nachos BellGrande.

As to what we can replace it with, students I've talked to have had varying ideas. Some felt it would be a great place for apprentice masseurs to practice, giving discounted rates for students. That would go well, I'm sure, during finals.

Others envision another restaurant, something that was open twenty-four hours a day would be great. A coffee shop might also go well, but with the number of internet-access cafes around, it would have to significantly differentiate itself.

Whatever happens, though, it will be a welcome relief from the Marriott Food Service. I realize the stuff's good for me, but I could really use a better source of fat than this taco I'm eating right now.