This Columbia University Student Is Operating A Restaurant Out Of His Dorm Room

Forget the cafeteria: Columbia University students have a brand new dining option and it comes from an unexpected source. Meet Jonah Reider, a senior at Columbia, who started his own restaurant/dinner club, Pith, out of his dorm room. He runs the prix fixe dinner club four nights a week, cooking in the communal kitchen in his dorm in Hogan Hall.He serves up to four people at a time, dishes like rainbow trout with fennel gremolata, black currant, and chanterelle rice, according to Gothamist. Currently, Reider has a waiting list because reservations are backed up through the holidays.

"The cost of dinner varies from night to night, but will generally be $10 to $20 per person. Contributing to cost may be an excellent appetizer board of cheeses, olives, and house made pickles," Pith's website says. "Additionally, affordable bottles of wine and cocktails will be offered." There are no plans to turn the restaurant into a for-profit enterprise; the cost of a meal reimburses Reider for all the groceries.

Reider has said, however, that he will be re-opening his restaurant once the spring semester is back in session, and is hoping to find an investor soon so that he could open his dinner club up to more interested parties.

"There's no curtain between the kitchen and the living room, and I'm not in an apron or something," Reider said in an interview with the Columbia Spectator. "And it's very much intended to be, whoever comes over will have a great time and hopefully will spend some time with me, too."