Fly-By Temporarily Closes Due to Unsafe Food Temperature

Fly-By, a quick to-go lunch option for upperclassmen in the basement of Annenberg Hall, temporarily shut its doors Thursday because “the meals were not delivered at a safe temperature,” according to University spokesperson Tania deLuzuriaga.

Students have expressed concerns about food quality in the understaffed dining halls that remain open during the historic strike of dining services workers, and some have reported undercooked meals. DeLuzuriaga did not provide additional details about why Fly-By was shut down, but said professionals regularly inspect the open dining halls to ensure food safety. She added that there were no reported food safety violations in dining halls Wednesday night.

Although Fly-By will reopen Friday, the unexpected closure was a surprise to some students. Several undergraduates tried eating at Fly-By before midterm exams Thursday only to encounter shut doors.

Leore Lavin ’17, said she relies on Fly-By for lunch every day. “Their veggie chili sustains me daily,” she said. But on Thursday, Lavin said she was “surprised” to see Fly-By closed.

Eliza Ennis ’19 headed to Fly-By before an 11:30 a.m. class, but learned from other students in the basement that workers had told them to eat upstairs in the freshman dining hall. While dining hall restrictions on open upperclassmen Houses have been lifted during the strike, Annenberg remains freshman-only.

“I went up and ate in Annenberg for the first time in two years, which is crazy,” Lavin said.

Although Lavin ate in Annenberg, she was unable to find a quiet spot to do an assignment. Ennis said she also felt inconvenienced by Fly-By’s sudden closure because she had less time to eat and had to take bowls of food with her to class.

“If they had told us ahead of time, it wouldn’t have been a big deal,” Ennis said. “It was just because they didn’t let us know that it was a little bit confusing.”

Some students who did not realize Annenberg was open to them left for class hungry.

—Staff writer Leah S. Yared can be reached at leah.yared@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @Leah_Yared.