Picture this: It’s your first time exploring the streets of Iowa City at night with your friends, and you can’t wait to venture somewhere you’ve never dared before — the bars. The sidewalks are flooded with a sea of college kids, each just as excited as the next for a good time after a droning week of classes.

The music from Fieldhouse calls to you, so bass-heavy that your stomach feels it before your ears can hear it. You’re not used to staying up this late, but your friend from Burge told you the fun only starts after 10 p.m. You even skipped dinner to avoid a queasy stomach.

After an eventful night of bar hopping, dancing, and helping your friend who can’t hold their liquor, all you can think about is that burger you’ve been craving all day. Unfortunately, the only restaurant open is Pancheros, and seeing the line that snakes out the door, you start to regret skipping dinner.

Nightlife is one of the main attractions of Iowa City’s college scene. It’s no surprise it’s ranked No. 26 in the country for party schools. The streets are bustling, and the bars are filled every night from Thursday to Saturday. You’d think with so many students, fast-food spots would be busy long into the night, but that’s not the case. Why?

The answer is simple: Most restaurants close before 11 p.m.

Due to the active nightlife in Iowa City, restaurants should have more incentive to keep their doors open later. This would bring more variety to students with dietary restrictions or those who simply want to try something new.

It would also keep students safer by providing more restaurant options within walking distance, instead of farther restaurants, like McDonald’s, that may result in students driving after a night of drinking.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 4,856 young drivers were involved in alcohol-related car crashes in 2022, with  2,034 fatalities. Statistics show this number is increasing, with a 30 percent rise in fatalities from 2013 to 2022.

Additionally, restaurants staying open later could reduce the financial burden for students who choose to use food delivery apps like DoorDash, which start orders within five miles at a flat rate of $9.75 plus $0.15 for every extra mile, excluding the price of the food order itself.

However, extending hours at fast-food locations may not be as simple as you think.

To find out more about the restaurant industry, I turned to Jessica Lopez, the general manager of the East Washington Street Jimmy John’s. Lopez told me that because Jimmy John’s is a franchise, it gives them more control over their hours.

As for corporate restaurants, it’s much trickier to extend store hours. Corporations run the entire business from top to bottom, so all business decisions are made by a board of directors, not the store manager. Chipotle — a campus favorite —is one example.

Lopez said another reason restaurants close early is the lack of workers. She said the main demographic for fast-food employees is college students, who need flexible work schedules to balance homework, extracurriculars, and adequate rest for early classes. Therefore, workers for these late-night shifts are few and far between.

Now that some of the limitations in the restaurant industry are clear, where do we go from here?

First, keep an eye out for franchises. Pancheros is a reliable spot, but other places like Jimmy John’s and Buffalo Wild Wings stay open until midnight and 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday. DP Dough also stays open late, closing its doors at 4 a.m. on weekends.

All of these are reliable, diverse choices within walking distance. A chain recently brought to the heart of Iowa City by popular demand is Raising Cane’s, which is open until 2 a.m.

Second, support local restaurants. In many cases, local restaurants have even more flexibility than franchises with business hours and pay rates. George’s Best Gyros is one example of a reliable eatery open until 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday. Another is Uncle Sun, a local Chinese restaurant open until midnight on weekdays and 2 a.m. during the weekend.

Supporting local restaurants adds to the culture of Iowa City. Franchises have their place, but over-relying on them runs the risk of shutting down local businesses that have become a staple of Iowa City.

By supporting the existing local restaurants, it not only feeds back into Iowa City’s culture, but it encourages the establishment of future local restaurants as well.

The fact that Raising Cane’s and McDonald’s are open until 2 a.m. proves people are willing to work late nights. Restaurants needing night shift workers could offer higher pay as an incentive.

If we want restaurants to stay open longer, students and residents in Iowa City need to let them know we want them open.

One way we can do this is through petitions. Although petitions have varied levels of success, it is still a viable way of drawing attention to a local issue. Another way businesses can stay open longer is by applying for local grants.

Iowa City offers grants of up to $25,000 to businesses with five or fewer owners, which many local restaurants could benefit from.

It’s no secret Iowa City has a lively nightlife scene. By doing our part in supporting local businesses and petitioning for longer hours, you’ll be able to go out and have fun, without having to worry about skipping dinner.

Editor’s note: A former version of this article incorrectly identified Raising Cane’s as a franchise, which has since been corrected. The Daily Iowan regrets this error.