@bluehourkitchen / Instagram

Blue Hour Kitchen, a new student-run food delivery pop-up, debuted on Saturday, Feb. 1. In roughly three hours, the two-man team fulfilled 47 orders, delivering them all across campus. 

The idea for Blue Hour Kitchen was born in Chobani at Hieber Café during finals week last semester. Seniors Tucker St. Lawrence, an experienced cook, and Zach Greenberg, who had recently developed a passion for cooking while studying abroad, saw an opportunity to share their gastronomic ingenuity with the student body. 

“We wanted to come up with a fun side venture,” Greenberg said. “Tucker is an amazing cook, and I’m getting into the culinary arts as well, and we just figured it would be super awesome to provide a late-night food delivery service for friends.”

For St. Lawrence, who has spent years working in restaurants, cooking was second nature.

“I worked in a restaurant for around five years as a server and kitchen expo, which got me really interested in food,” St. Lawrence said. “I started cooking a lot more at home, learning techniques through observing at the restaurant and independent learning via YouTube.”

Choosing the right name was no easy task. According to Greenberg, they went through around 700 AI-generated suggestions before settling on Blue Hour Kitchen — a reference to the twilight period after dawn and before dusk, fitting for their late-night concept.

Their marketing scheme relied on word of mouth, leveraging their personal networks and using Instagram advertisements. The Blue Hour Kitchen logo — a blue clock wearing sunglasses and holding a burger — was designed by senior Sarah Cryan. She also designed the menu, which features bold fonts, pastel blues and playful graphics to make each dish distinct. 

The pair deliberately crafted a small menu to keep the cooking process manageable and efficient, offering four signature items: the “Classic Smash Burger,” the “Bird on a Bun,” the “Cowboy Burger” and the “Shump Platter,” all served with homemade pickles and fries, with a 10% discount applying to orders over four people. A recovery drink was also available for purchase; though, as Greenberg admitted, no one ordered it, so they will likely “pivot their resources elsewhere” next time. 

“Zach and I wanted to streamline the cooking process since we were working with limited space and resources,” St. Lawrence said. “So we decided on a small, consolidated menu to keep cooking and costs simple but effective.” 

By the time Blue Hour Kitchen opened on Feb. 1 at 6:30 p.m., St. Lawrence and Greenberg had already put in hours of preparation to ensure the night ran smoothly. Even still, they found the influx of orders overwhelming. 

“I began prepping certain items ahead of time and set up a workflow system in the kitchen so we could increase efficiency and was still surprised with how busy and overwhelming it got when we were at our busiest,” St. Lawrence said. 

Nonetheless, the pair quickly fell into a rhythm and their respective roles. St. Lawrence took charge of the kitchen, while Greenberg handled line cooking and deliveries. With limited space and no additional staff, precision and timing were critical. St. Lawrence, drawing on years of restaurant experience, relied on instinct and muscle memory to maintain the pace.

“Luckily, the time and spatial awareness from working in a fast-moving restaurant kitchen really helped,” St. Lawrence said.

By the 9 p.m. cutoff, they had sold out of their burgers and chicken sandwiches. They turned the few chicken tenders left over into a family-style dinner to celebrate the night’s success. 

Not only did the pair turn a profit, but their food was a big hit: Student reception was overwhelmingly positive. Sophomore Lily Gamburg shared her thoughts.

“The food was great — especially the homemade pickles, they were fire,” Gamburg said. “That was a nice touch — maybe my favorite part of the meal.”

Greenberg also spoke about their successful pricing model.

“I think we kind of nailed it on the price point,” Greenberg said. “Having it come with the fries and multiple pickles was an incentive for people to pay $12 for a sandwich.”

Despite the unexpected stress of receiving such an influx of orders, both St. Lawrence and Greenberg found the experience to be rewarding.

“I loved it,” Greenberg said. “It’s super cool to have an idea, put it down on paper and actually turn it into something — and have people, one, be so receptive to it, and two, ask for it to be continued.”

For St. Lawrence, sharing his food with others may have been the biggest highlight.

“I find that making a meal for people is extremely rewarding and is something I have always really enjoyed,” St. Lawrence said. 

For students who missed out the first time, there will be more opportunities to support the student-run business. The duo is still looking for a date that suits their busy schedules, but confirmed they will return. 

“Big things are coming soon,” Greenberg said.