The Hilltop Story

 

On Route 1 in Saugus, Massachusetts, about a twenty minute drive from Cambridge, stood the Hilltop Steak House. When I went to graduate school in the late 80's, Hilltop led all restaurants in the United States by sales (about $30 million in annual revenue) and volume (about 2.5 million customers).

I went there several times during graduate school. Despite the size, about 1500 seats, always a long wait but worth it to get a good steak at a price a grad student could afford. 

But in 1994, Hilltop was bought by an investment company from the original Giuffrida family. The cost of labor went up and to keep costs reasonable, the new owners cut the quality of the meat. No longer a place to get good steak at a good price and with changing tastes, they lost customers and would finally close in 2013.

Computer Science as an academic discipline has had its Hilltop moment with tremendous growth pretty consistently from 2010 through about 2023. But with the growth of AI and an uncertain job market, if we don't maintain quality and adjust to the new needs and interests of our students, CS may become just a road sign on Route 1.