U. of Maryland offers continental breakfast for early risers

March 18—Starting after spring break, Dining Services at the University of Maryland, in College Park, will pilot a weekend continental breakfast menu through the end of the semester. Instead of opening at 11 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, the North and South Campus dining halls will open at 10 a.m. with a variety of cold options.

The menu will include bagels, donuts, cereal and fruit, as well as yogurt with toppings. Though the waffle irons will be open for use, workers won’t serve hot food like pancakes, French toast and omelets until 11 a.m. Still, Dining Services is hoping to hold early risers over with the selected offerings.

Dining Services will pay $15,000 to open the two dining halls an hour early for two semesters total, depending on the pilot program. That number is low compared to what the department could have ended up paying, thanks to meticulous planning, said Bart Hipple, Dining Services spokesman.