Eatery to Open in Fall Adds Another Late-Night Option (and Pizza)

The Pilothouse wil sit between Hampton Roads and Eastern Shore, offering a late-night menu similar to Ike's, but with the dining room remaining open throughout the day for student use.
(Rendering of The Pilothouse obtained through Mason Housing)
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Come fall of 2010, Ike’s won't be the only late-night munchies option on campus. When classes start on Monday, Aug. 30, students will also have the chance to eat in the wee hours of the morning at The Pilothouse, a 120—seat dining facility adjacent to Eastern Shore and the new Hampton Roads dormitories.

Named and decorated to fit the maritime feel of the Hampton Roads’ namesake, the facility will serve a similar selection of menu items as Ike’s, and do so until the same time of 4 a.m.

According to Regional District Manager of Sodexo, Denise Ammaccapane while the final menu is still being decided, one menu item is a for-sure bet because of suggestions students have made for Ike’s and the rest of Mason’s on-campus dining: true New York-style pizza.

“Some people like Chicago-style,” said Ammaccapane, “ . . .  but I’m from New Jersey [and] I just can’t do it.”

The Pilothouse’s kitchen, separated from the glass window-lined dining room, will house state-of-the-art equipment to make the pizza and a flexible menu possible. This area will be gated off outside of operation hours, allowing students to use the dining space for studying, holding meetings or lounging around throughout the day.

“When the facility opens, it will just be great to sit inside the building and look out into the trees,” said Project Manager Nancy Pickens. The facility’s full-height windows look out onto the forested section of campus between Dominion and Eastern Shore.

Additional seating will be located on the patio, which will surround the dining room and offer the same view of campus.

Though the patio may mean a chilly dining experience at 3 a.m., students may still be able to sit outside and enjoy a comfortable meal. According to Ammaccapane, talks are in the works that may end in both The Pilothouse and Ike’s being open for dinner.

“It makes sense,” said freshman anthropology major Sarah Baumgarten, who lives in nearby Eastern Shore. “It would be more convenient to have food options closer to our dorm. It would save a lot of time, and probably be more practical for dining with how crowded Southside can be [at dinner].”

Two E-bite stations will also be available to ease lines and waits. Like the E-bite station outside La Patisserie in the Johnson Center, the electronic cashier will allow students with money on their Mason IDs to purchase their meal from the same menu in its entirety.

Depending on its success and reception, The Pilothouse’s services in the future may extend to pizza pick-up, and/or delivery.

“I’d rather start out smaller and increase [the facility’s services],” said Ammaccapane. “It’s easy to increase. It’s hard to decrease.”

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Executive Editor Kevin Loker had the opportunity to tour the construction zone with Project Manager Nancy Pickens and Vance Hood, superintendent for Dustin Construction. 
A video, taken via a Flip camera, is posted below.