"Hey, are you ladies ready to order?" Bessent asked, politely interrupting a debate between two juniors who had been standing in front of the grill for nearly five minutes. They were weighing the relative benefits of chicken nuggets and chicken parmesan. The duo quickly decided on nuggets, though one woman nearly spilled her entire order while fumbling with the plastic to-go container.
"We see that a lot," Bessent said of the narrowly-avoided food spill.
He and Triplett, who both regularly work the eight-and-a-half hour night shift, agreed that the combination of the weekend excitement, the late hours and the after-effects of hard partying produce a more spirited customer base on Friday nights.
"There's lots of drunk people," Bessent said. "This can be very amusing. It can also be very annoying, because some people can't tell us what they want."
"Or they try and come back to cook their own food," Tripplet added.
Bessent said that while a number of humorous incidents stand out in his mind, the average late-night order is simple and completed quickly.
"The most popular order is definitely chicken nuggets," he said. "After that, probably grilled cheese or mozz sticks." He noted that the average late-night Food Court patron is en route to another destination and wants something with a short preparation time. Nuggets are prepared continuously, and orders are filled from the already cooked stockpile.
The students who ordered nuggets were satisfied with their choice.
"I think everyone in the whole world should eat nuggets," said Rigel Cable '10, shortly before conducting an impromptu rendition of "Milkshake" by Kelis. "They are juicy and delicious. Plus you can dip them in barbecue sauce, which is the best. And I have to pee."
A group of four freshmen could not agree on which one of them was Benjamin Moskowitz '10, each claiming the identity as their own. But they were in agreement that chicken nuggets were the superior choice.
"Nuggets rule," said one of the Moskowitzes.
Triplett said that the night runs much more smoothly when dealing with satisfied customers.
"The worst is when we run out of things," he said. "We once had this huge line of 15 or 20 students come in. They were chanting, 'Mozz sticks, mozz sticks.' There was almost a riot when I told them we were out."
The two chefs agreed that the greatest potential for drama occurs in the last 10 minutes that Food Court is open. At 12:50 a.m., the fryers are shut off, meaning that many items are no longer available.
"People get really desperate at that point," said Bessent. "They're like, 'I'll take anything you got! Anything!'"
A freshman, who refused to give her name because of her extreme state of intoxication, was in that position Friday night. After she was told by the chefs that they were unable to make the mozzarella sticks she desired, she asked for "whatever you have left," clarifying, "that is food, I mean."
Bessent provided her with an order of buffalo wings, eliciting gratitude.
"You are el chico," she said. "Or is that how you say 'the man' in Spanish? No! You are el hombre!"
The student then tripped, but assured the grill chefs that her lack of balance was due to her excessively high heels. She attempted to show them her silver sandals by standing on one foot and raising her other over the grill barrier into their lines of sight, but again lost her balance. After delivering a brief monologue on the state of the dating scene on campus, the student departed.
Bessent laughed at the scene as it unfolded, but did not seem thrown off by the events. When asked for comment, he simply responded, "It's Friday."
