Although it's only my first year on campus, I quickly learned that big bites was the go-to place for greasy, guilty-pleasure food. Not only guilty pleasure food but everyone's late night munchie/drunk food. Big Bites wasn't just a restaurant, it was a late night tradition. Something to look forward to after whatever exhaustion was in your life that week. It was an integral part of UT and the college experience.
To my knowledge, big bites was booming so you can imagine my surprise and devastation when they shut down just last month. According to The Daily Texan, the owner, Joseph Elghoul, decided to close the business when American Campus chose not to renew the lease. Therefore distressing thousands of broke, starving college students. Sure Qdoba and Austin's pizza are viable options for us longhorns but there was something about a big bites sandwich that just hit the spot (and most of the time you only partially regretted eating there). Their sandwiches were unmatchable and their other food was just as satisfying, like their juicy wings and cheesy calzones. (Although most didn't venture away from their main highlight of sandwiches) It was the kind of food where you feel awful for eating afterward but wouldn't take back a single moment of it.
The atmosphere eluded ~college~ and included everyone from the late night study breaker to the post party munchers. Even though the location was small you didn't mind being crowded around a bunch of starving and usually drunk college students because you would soon have the sandwich that would make it all worthwhile. My personal favorite was the Phat Longhorn, a sandwich as magnificent as the city it was named after. A cheeseburger topped with fried egg, mozzarella sticks, bacon, chicken tenders, and fries. A combination of all the best fried foods into a single sandwich. A creation made by god himself.
I'll miss going there with friends after a long night out and seeing familiar faces or even after a night in and just people watching the interesting crowd that was sure to roll through. I'll miss how easy and accessible it was as well as the decent service time. I'll also miss the friendly and understanding staff. Especially, when your friend is so drunk they can't even make a sentence let alone pick an item off the menu and order it. I'll even miss the self-loathing I felt after finishing my entire meal. I think I speak for all of us when I say we'll just miss you big bites. The point is, West campus, no, UT, no, Austin won't be same without you, big guy.
