LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — The life of a college kid involves a lot of late nights. From studious students studying well into the wee hours of the morning to party people enjoying a night with friends, each encounters the same issue: late night cravings.
A rumble from within creates a problem because of the shortage of restaurants with their doors open late into the night. One student at the University of Kentucky found an entrepreneurial solution for the late hunger equation.
In October of 2023, Mohamed Weheba opened the restaurant L8Nite to serve customers at unusual hours of the night. The idea for the restaurant sprouted from Weheba’s own personal experience.
“I'm a night owl, so I stay up late and study late,” Weheba said. “I get hungry at night, and really, there's nothing in walking distance of campus, so I'd have to get in my car and drive.”
Weheba currently takes classes at UK as a pre-med student. However, he felt he needed to prioritize his culinary calling.
“I have no restaurant experience myself, I never worked in a restaurant,” Weheba said, “But I kind of just knew that I had to make this idea. I enlisted help of some restaurant consultants and kind of just took it step by step, you know, learning everything until I was finally able to open.”
One thing Weheba did not get help with was his menu. From the start, Weheba knew exactly what kind of food he wanted to offer.
“I kind of knew exactly what food I wanted to have,” Weheba said. “Usually when you're hungry at night, you just, you want something quick. Especially also when college students go to the bars and after that they get hungry, they just want fried food. So I always knew exactly what I wanted.”
The unique option for late-night dining has resonated well with students, who Weheba estimates make up the majority of his patrons.
I work, like very late, and so it's a very nice option for my breaks,” UK student Alex Valdivia said, “Because — there's not too many places that's open that has good food. I mean there's McDonald's, there's Canes, but I get that all the time. But this place is like, pretty cool”
The undertaking required Weheba to take a year off of school before returning as a junior. When returning to classes, Weheba had to hire assistant managers to bear the load. Eventually, he hopes to stay open 24/7.
Though he does not go to school for a business degree, Weheba truly enjoys all aspects of running a restaurant.
“I find it enjoyable, you know, basically figuring out what works, what doesn't work, taking customer feedback. L8Nite is really in its early stages, so there's definitely going to be a lot of changes moving forward, and I'm looking forward to just being a part of UK's student culture.”
