Everyone knows that feeling of insatiable hunger after a night of being out and about in State College. All that dancing, socializing, and consuming miscellaneous fluids works up quite the appetite. But as a certified foodie, I find the lack of late-night options at Penn State exhausting.

During those late hours of the night that carry into the early hours of the morning, my friends and I often find ourselves having to settle for the same greasy pizza, chicken tenders, or Mexican food that we’ve romanticized since freshman year. I won’t even waste my breath naming them because you know exactly what places I’m talking about. Because of the lack of options, one must endure what feels like an eternal wait in a loud, overstimulating line to order the same thing you’ve had 100 times.

But I have a syrupy proposition that will revolutionize Penn State’s after-hours eats.

As a native of Dallas, Texas, and after spending this past summer in North Carolina for an internship, I feel extremely well-versed in the topic of breakfast. There is genuinely nothing like some southern a.m. cooking, the holy mecca of which is Waffle House.

Back in 1955, two neighbors from Georgia created a 24-hour, sit-down restaurant with a focus on counter-side seating. Despite starting as a neighborhood diner, the brilliant, round-the-clock breakfast model propelled Waffle House into a chain with an unmistakable yellow sign peppered throughout Southern America.

Unfortunately, the nearest Waffle House is 55 miles away from State College, but Penn Staters do have the Waffle House-adjacent, The Waffle Shop. The problem? The downtown spot is only open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m.

I’m not demanding that The Waffle Shop turn into a 24-hour restaurant; however, I am asking ownership to consider reopening later at night. Maybe, 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.? I mean, I’m just salivating at the thought of a midnight waffle smothered in warm syrup paired with crispy chicken or a side of salty bacon.

Breakfast food is extremely versatile, consisting of salty, sweet, or spicy flavors. French toast, pancakes, sticky buns, eggs, sandwiches, muffins, breakfast proteins, pigs in a blanket, potatoes, and of course, waffles. The downtown Waffle Shop also offers a diner-style lunch menu, consisting of burgers, melts, onion rings, fries, and quesadillas. That kind of variation at a singular place will be highly coveted by college students with empty bellies, conservative budgets, and unhinged cravings.

Imagine you just had one of the craziest nights of your life, and you get to sit down at a booth, encased in the warm, fuzzy diner aesthetic of the Waffle Shop, and debrief with your friends over a traditional Western breakfast.

Seriously, there is no time requirement for the most important meal of the day.

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