Citing Safety Concerns, Pilot House Closes Doors for Thursday

The new late-night dining venue on the Fairfax campus will be closed on its fifth night since opening. (Daniel McEnrue).

UPDATED: 09/02/10 4:20 p.m.

George Mason University's new late-night pizza place will close Thursday night as a safety precaution for the kitchen's staff and the venue's patrons, according to representatives from Mason Dining and Student Centers. 

On Wednesday afternoon, the university was notified, via e-mail, that the new campus dining facility, Pilot House, was experiencing an electrical issue and would be suspending service until the weekend.

Mark Kraner, Assistant Vice President of University Services, elaborated on the electrical problems that the facility has been facing since it began operations last Sunday. According to Kraner, a 400-amp breaker that is weakened keeps popping off, putting the kitchen in darkness.

"For the protection of employees, we just didn’t feel that it would be wise to remain open," Kraner said. "The longer we use the Pilot House, the weaker the breaker gets and the more it pops off. We prefer not to put people in a dangerous situation.”

Kraner added that they expect the part to be delivered Friday, suggesting the facility could continue operating under normal hours sometime over the weekend.

Many campus residents were subsequently puzzled to discover that Pilot House opened its doors Wednesday night, despite the email message.

Denise Ammaccapane, Resident District Manager, had been told that despite ongoing electrical issues, staff had been reassured that they face “no imminent danger,” and Pilot House could continue operation.

This afternoon, however, a final decision has been made that Pilot House will not open on Thursday. Ammaccapane cited other safety issues and a desire to “air on the side of caution” as reasons to cease operations. “We have been concerned that when the power goes out, the hoods go off in the kitchen, creating lots of smoke from the cooking equipment. It has been a concern that the smoke would cause fire alarms to go off and we would be forced to evacuate the building.”

Residents can expect the Pilot House to reopen on Friday at 5pm, and continue to follow the normal weekend schedule. Operating hours for Saturday and Sunday are 9pm-4am.

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