Lowell House's dining hall recently imposed restrictions to help cut down on its frequent overcrowding.

Students wanting to grab a meal in a river House will now have to travel a little bit further after the Lowell House Committee announced the installation of new dining restrictions on Monday evening.

Effective immediately, no interhouse diners will be permitted to eat in Lowell House for lunch or dinner until 6:45 p.m. on weekdays and Sundays, and House residents will each be allowed to bring one guest to dine with them.

“We found that our dining hall was very overcrowded to the point that people who lived in Lowell couldn’t find seats in their own dining hall,” said Alex W. Brenner ’11, co-chair of the Lowell House Committee.

When the Lowell House Opera begins in mid-February, these new restrictions—which were voted into effect this past week—will be superseded by the annual Opera season restrictions, Brenner said. These stricter limitations do not allow for any interhouse diners, as dining hall space is limited by the presence of the Opera stage.

Brenner said that the new dining restrictions, which are supported by the House Masters, will be reconsidered by the House Committee while the Opera is in residence to determine whether they will continue once the Opera season is over.

Laura A. Freeman ’12, facilities manager of the Lowell House Committee, said her feelings about these restrictions are “kind of mixed.”

“I’m against restrictions, but [this one] is kind of necessary,” said Freeman, who said she likes bringing her friends to Lowell dining hall for meals. “It’s ridiculously crowded. People who live in Lowell [can’t] find seats.”

Lowell House general cook Stanley A. Ewing said he thinks these new restrictions will only delay the mealtime rush. He said that limiting interhouse diners to one guest per resident until 6:45 p.m. will only cause the large influx of students to come in later.

“I don’t like it, but I understand it,” said Lowell resident Shuo Huang ’09-’10. “Space really does become an issue, even with the interhouse restrictions.”

Huang recalled having to resort to dining in Winthrop in the past when his own dining hall became too crowded. He said he has not yet decided which other House will serve as his backup this season.

“I would like not to have to resort to [eating in other Houses],” Brenner said, “[but] I think it’s a necessary evil.”

—Staff writer Xi Yu can be reached at xyu@college.harvard.edu.