Eliot House

Movies are shown daily on a big-screen T.V. at the Eliot House grill. Manager Hal Watson '87 cited 48 Hours as a "cheesesteak movie," as opposed to a "bagel movie" like Terms of Endearment.

"The grill provides more of a social than a financial function, and God knows Harvard needs that right now with the new alcohol policy," Watson says.

The Eliot House grill stopped serving beer this year, breaking a 15-year tradition--Watson says that beer's absence has had a definite impact on sales.

At Eliot House, all profits made go directly to the workers, who make $15 a night.

Open seven days a week, Eliot's is the only grill that offers a delivery service. "We have had no problems with it so far, just a lot of stairs to climb," manager Lisa J. Blair '87 says.

Kirkland House

"I probably learn more from this than I do my classes," says Arthur J. Murphy '87, one of four Economics majors who run "The Underground," Kirkland House's grill.

The Kirkland House grill is the only grill that allows its customers to charge food on weekly tabs. It is also one of the biggest on campus, seating over a hundred people, and frequented by 50 to 100 students a night.

The Underground grosses $500-$800 a week, Murphy says. Manned by only the four managers and three others, each person is paid $20 a night.

Murphy says he will have no problems selling his share in the grill, since working there "looks really good on a resume. The hands-on experience looks impressive."

Leverett House

Serving the widest variety of food, the Leverett House Grill offers frappes, hash browns, chips, peanuts, sodas, juice, and onion rings in addition to standard grilled snacks.

"I know I have to be on my toes to keep everything running smoothly," says Richard J. Lannon '86, one of Leverett House's two grill managers. "Our personnel bends over backwards to do a good job. The girls [who work at the grill] dress up on Wednesday nights. It helps bring in more business," he says.

Netting about $1300 a week, the Leverett House grill pays its employees $5 an hour. "We lost money for three straight weeks during midterms, but generally we make a profit," Lannon says.