The proprietors of the Dunster and Lowell grills, on the other hand, place their profits into an account for reinvestment back into the grill.

And the owners of the Quincy and Mather grills are paid a set salary. These grills are non-profit organizations which pay all the profits to the House Committee at the end of the year.

The proprietors of most of the grills say that in general they are not looking to make much of a profit. They say their motivation for working in a grill is to provide the students of the House a place to socialize.

Says Christine Yang '91, the co-owner of the Cabot grill, "The grill is more of a service to bring up House spirit. We know the grill is good for the House. We're not in this for the money."

'An Excuse to be Social'

And students working at many of the grills say they enjoy the social atmosphere and the chance to meet many of the students in the House.

"It's a lot of fun working here," say Ed Perrin '91, who works at the Lowell grill. "It's like doing an extracurricular and getting paid for it."

Beth Ortner '90, a student who works at the North grill, says she agrees. "The work is mainly an excuse to be social."

And many owners cite business experience as an important motivation for taking on the sometimes time-consuming operation of a grill.

"It's an incredible learning experience," says Laurie Ciarti '90, a co-proprietor for the Dunster grill. "It teaches you how to run a business, how to deal with people and keep a payroll."