Jackie Lloyd, 20, a junior public relations major, talks with her friends over Jimmy John’s last night. DAVID ALAN FOSTER | DAILY KENT STATER

Credit: DKS Editors

Everyone’s felt that late-night hunger. The bars are closed, the fridge houses only condiments and the desire for food makes itself obvious with growls from the gut. When pizza’s not appetizing, or Howie’s is closed, turn to these late-night hot spots for fresh food to satisfy the post-midnight munchies.

Luna’s 24-hour diner – custom menu, great

atmosphere, good food

Luna’s is always open. As in, it doesn’t close. Not for breaks, not to restock the kitchen, not even for Christmas. The recently renovated diner, located on state Route 59 in Kent, serves breakfast, lunch and dinner ’round the clock.

“It’s cheaper and fresher than McDonald’s,” said Youssef Daoudi, part-owner of Luna’s. “We’re very friendly. It’s a restaurant, but we also have a sports bar-grill atmosphere.”

The diner seats more than 170 people and is equipped with seven televisions in the dining room and five more in the adjacent party room.

Daoudi said Luna’s offers free Wi-Fi with outlets at every booth. At certain times of the day, Luna’s provides an atmosphere to catch up on schoolwork and grab a bite.

Luna’s server Sara Desure said the mornings tend to be mostly an older crowd, and there are a lot of regulars.

“Everybody knows everyone,” Desure said. “Where they sit, what they eat. It’s like a family around here.”

Daoudi said the college kids start filtering in around 9 p.m.

“Sometimes you look around and see that almost every booth is college students,” he said. “One time we had a guy start playing the guitar. We didn’t invite him to or anything, but we saw no reason to stop him. He was really good, and all the students liked him.”

Luna’s offers daily all-you-can-eat specials, soups cooked fresh daily, a variety menu that includes different Mediterranean dishes, desserts delivered weekly from Slices Fabulous Pastries in Cleveland and a daily 10 percent discount for all Kent State students.

Daoudi said at Luna’s they just try to make everyone happy.

“Sometimes people will come in and request something. They’ll say, ‘Youssef, I want lentil soup,’ and I’ll try to get it for them like the next day. Seriously, whatever they want.”

He laughs.

“I spoil them a little,” he said.

Luna’s dining room has a modern look with booths, round tables and a bar. The restaurant went through four months of renovation before the dining room was completed in March 2006.

“This place was chaos,” Daoudi said of the diner after the previous owners sold the location. “The pipes were frozen, the party room wasn’t even in use and everything was just really ugly.”

He said the renovations aren’t finished yet.

“We hope to open a patio this spring,” Daoudi said. “We’ve actually been trying to get a liquor license, also. Kent is college ‘city,’ literally. We want to appeal to college students and offer them reasons to come eat.”

The owners also have plans to recreate the menu to resemble a steakhouse. Daoudi said they are also considering purchasing a pizza oven and may start catering.

“There are lots of people who love this place, which is a great thing,” he said. “We try to make everyone happy.

That’s all.”

Jimmy John’s subs, a late-night alternative to

greasy pizza

Let’s face it, as nice as it is to sit down and be served, college students don’t always have the extra cash to tip for service or extra gas to drive across town. Jimmy John’s offers a fresh alternative to the regular pie, and they deliver, too.

Mike Daly, manager of Jimmy John’s in Kent, said Jimmy John himself pioneered the sandwich-delivery chain restaurant with one dream in mind: “creating affordable food quickly for college students.”

The sandwich shop is open until 2 a.m. Sunday through Wednesday, and 4 a.m. Thursday through Saturday. This includes sit-down, pick-up and delivery.

When customers place a delivery order with Jimmy John’s, they might notice no time-frame is given for the delivery.

“It could take five minutes. It could take 15 or 20,” Daly said. “Due to weather and business uncertainties, we don’t make a guarantee. We say we will be there as soon as possible, and we mean it.”

24-HOUR CAMPUS FOOD Don’t feel like driving out into the cold weather? Have no fear, Rosie’s is here! Rosie’s Diner and Rosie’s Rations are located inside the Tri-Towers Rotunda and are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, excluding holidays. Students can conveniently place an order and shop at the store adjacent to the dining area while the food is being prepared. Payments include FlashCash, Kent State Dining Plan or cash at the register after the order is placed. According to Kent State Dining Services, the busiest time for Rosie’s is between 8 p.m. and 3 a.m. Rosie’s Rations features a new cooler dedicated exclusively to vegan and vegetarian items. Source: Kent State Dining Services

The walls of Jimmy John’s are covered in signs with sayings such as “No spitting” and “Stop and smell the roses.” The wit, Daly said, comes straight from Jimmy John himself, who is displayed in a photo surrounded by deli meats and vegetables, sporting a friendly smile and giving a thumbs-up.

Jimmy John’s menu consists of more than 26 sandwiches, including an “un-wich” for diabetics and people on low-carb diets, which uses a lettuce wrap in place of bread.

Daly said you will always see someone cutting fresh food at the counter. The meat is sliced on location, and the bread is cooked fresh multiple times daily. He said you will never get a sandwich on bread more than four hours old.

The busiest time for Jimmy John’s is what Daly calls, the “bar rush” – after 2 a.m. Thursdays through Saturdays when the bars let out.

“What can I say?” he said. “Drunk college kids love Jimmy John’s.”

Contact features reporter Courtney Cook at [email protected].